Hearing this familiar voice, Lu Ming's eyes lit up.
“Old Third!!”
Lu Ming couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
Big Yellow and the others also stared intently at the vortex within the black smoke.
Sure enough, in the next moment, several figures emerged from the vortex.
Leading them was none other than Huang Tianbao, with four others following close behind.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face, along with Xue Wuchang in white and Feng Qingqing in black.
Lu Ming was quite excited to see Huang Tianbao.
But seeing Xue Wuchang and Feng Qingqing made him incredibly, wildly excited.
How were these two alive?
Then whose corpses were lying in those coffins?
But as he looked closer, he realized they were both in soul form.
In an instant, Lu Ming understood. Their souls had been saved by Huang Tianbao!
Emerging from the vortex, Huang Tianbao and his companions also spotted Lu Ming and the others.
All of them looked utterly shocked.
“Eldest Senior Brother, what are you guys doing here?”
Huang Tianbao couldn't help but ask in confusion.
After all, this was way too coincidental!
They had gone through so much trouble to find this spatial node, only to run right into his senior brother's group.
Lu Ming turned to look at the Grand Elder and muttered to himself,
The Grand Elder really lucked out with this one. This spot he chose is actually fantastic—it's incredibly auspicious for Xue Wuchang and his wife!
“We're here holding a funeral for them!”
Lu Ming pointed at Xue Wuchang and Feng Qingqing.
Hearing Lu Ming's words, Huang Tianbao turned to look at the couple, his lips twitching.
What a coincidence indeed. Still, to be able to witness one's own funeral after death was quite a unique blessing!
At this moment, Feng Qingqing stared at the words “Tomb of Xue Wuchang and His Wife” carved on the tombstone, a wide smile on her face.
She couldn't have been more satisfied with it.
Xue Wuchang, on the other hand, was utterly speechless. Since when had he married this woman?
But then he recalled what Huang Tianbao had told him about Feng Qingqing's actions after his death.
So, he tacitly accepted it.
“Eldest Senior Brother, what happened to our sect? How did Old Fourth and the others' cultivation increase so much?”
Upon returning to the Qingshan Sect and seeing Mu Linsen and the others' cultivation levels, Huang Tianbao couldn't resist asking.
Lu Ming pointed at Mu Linsen beside him.
“Old Fourth, why don't you explain it to your Third Brother?”
“You got it!”
Mu Linsen readily agreed and began recounting the story of their breakthroughs to Huang Tianbao.
Naturally, it was the version the Grand Elder had fabricated!
As he spoke, Mu Linsen sighed inwardly:
Sigh... If the story says our cultivation increased through sleeping, then so be it!
Sigh... It's not like I'd dare to tell the truth anyway.
Huang Tianbao was dumbfounded after listening. Wasn't this a bit too absurd?
At the same time, he felt a wave of pity for the Grand Elder and the others.
Sigh... Such a golden opportunity to breakthrough, and they just missed it like that!
He then looked up at the Grand Elder sitting at the head of the hall.
“Grand Elder, don't worry. Even if your lifespan runs out, you can always come to my Xuanming Great World and become a ghost!”
With that, Huang Tianbao handed a black token to the Grand Elder.
Lu Ming also looked curiously at the token in Huang Tianbao's hand, though he didn't rush to ask what was going on.
The Grand Elder caught the token.
“This thing will let me go to your place after I die?”
“Yes. As long as your soul isn't completely obliterated by someone, with this guiding token, you'll be able to go to my realm when the time comes!” Huang Tianbao confirmed.
“Oh right, give this one to the Second Elder!”
Saying so, Huang Tianbao handed over another token.
As for the Third Elder, Huang Tianbao didn't bother giving him one. The man was already a Half-Immortal; he wouldn't die that easily!
The Grand Elder pocketed the token and stood up.
“I'd still prefer to live a few more years. I'm going to go cultivate diligently!”
With that, the Grand Elder left the hall.
Watching the Grand Elder's departing back, Lu Ming felt a bit awkward.
If I hadn't made the Grand Elder focus on cultivating, would he have reached the Soul Transformation stage too?
But luckily, with Huang Tianbao's Xuanming Great World, the Grand Elder can still become a ghost in the future!
“Old Third, how did you guys get back? And what exactly is going on here?”
Huang Tianbao then proceeded to tell Lu Ming about what had happened after they parted ways.
It turned out that shortly after Lu Ming and the others left,
Huang Tianbao had gained absolute control over the Xuanming Great World by utilizing the five jade tokens and the imperial seal.
At the same time, he finally understood why he had been able to rise to such prominence in the Xuanming Great World.
As it turned out, he was actually the reincarnation of the Xuanming Great World's previous Xuanming Great Emperor!
During the great war of the Immortal Ancient era, not only was the Xuanming Great World shattered, but he had also been slain. Somehow, a trace of his true spirit had reincarnated onto the Xuantian Continent.
Because his true spirit had been severely damaged, he had lost all his memories!
Those clay Yin soldiers they had discovered beneath the Huang family's ancestral grave were actually his former guards.
They had simply fallen into a deep slumber!
Hearing Huang Tianbao's tale, Lu Ming, Big Yellow, and the others stared with wide eyes.
“My goodness! Old Third, you're actually the reincarnation of a supreme powerhouse!”
Lu Ming couldn't help but exclaim.
“Old Third, you're incredible!”
Big Yellow also craned its neck and barked in excitement.
Mu Linsen's eyes practically popped out of his skull.
His Third Brother was way too amazing!
Wang Defa, Fu Chen, and the others were equally astounded!
“Hehe... It's alright, it's alright!”
Huang Tianbao scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Lu Ming asked curiously, “Who was the one who killed you back then?”
“Yeah, Old Third, who on earth killed you? Tell us so we can avenge you!”
Big Yellow chimed in from the side.
Wang Defa and Fu Chen also turned their gazes to Huang Tianbao.
They knew that anyone capable of slaying the Xuanming Great Emperor in his past life was bound to be incredibly powerful.
But they felt no fear!
No matter how formidable their enemy was or how high their cultivation level, they would catch up to them one day!
This was especially true for Mu Linsen and the others, who knew that their Qingshan Sect was no ordinary place either.
Seeing the determination in everyone's eyes, Huang Tianbao felt a wave of warmth.
He shook his head.
“I don't know. My memories haven't fully returned yet; I've only recalled a portion of them.”
Lu Ming nodded, then asked with some concern,
“Now that you've returned to the Xuanming Great World, will your past-life enemies sense your presence?”
After all, their current strength was still far too weak!
If the enemy found out, they would be in serious trouble!
Hearing Lu Ming's words, Big Yellow and the others also looked worried.
Huang Tianbao chuckled and shook his head.
“Don't worry! I haven't officially activated the Xuanming Great World yet.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Lu Ming was somewhat puzzled.
“Once the Xuanming Great World is fully activated, it will begin receiving the souls of the deceased from the Xuantian Continent. But currently, it isn't doing that.”
Hearing Huang Tianbao's explanation, Lu Ming frowned. Why did this sound so incredibly familiar?
Wasn't this just like the legends of the Underworld from his past life on Earth, where the dead enter the netherworld?
Just then, Huang Tianbao's voice rang out again:
“Hehe... Boss, doesn't this sound a bit like those stories you used to tell us?”
Big Yellow and the others also nodded repeatedly. They had all heard the stories their boss told.
Especially the stories of the Great Sage!
Lu Ming nodded blankly.
“But those were just stories...”
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