"Greatest One." It had been 12 years since Xinzi heard that form of address. In that time frame, there were moments where our monk forgot his exalted identity, and others where even his divine background faded in the shadows of his mind. But as soon as the five immortals gave their greetings, the memories that Xinzi kept buried sprang back to the surface—bringing alongside them no end of grief. His heart turned cold. The flickering mortal emotions vanished, replaced by the austere dignity of an invulnerable monarch.
"Third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh elder, My Divine Self didn't expect that the Lord-Regent would dispatch so many Immortals—especially you, third and fifth elders—for a mere escort task," Xinzi said in a calm, inexpressive tone. The five elders trembled at the words, but though they dared not lift their heads, they replied immediately.
"Greatest One, please don't say such words! It is our good fortune to be in your presence and act as your escorts. All across this world are blessed to glance at your shadow, and mere immortals, including Heavenly Immortals such as the fifth elder and I, are no different." The third elder said, and all others banged their heads against the floor—agreeing in silence. One had to admit that, Hengye Yuemi aside—and Baxian to a lesser extent—there wasn't anyone in the Eternal Night Dynasty that Xinzi could complain about.
From grand elders to the lowest servant, all treated Xinzi with the utmost reverence. After all, though they could command the myriad lives of the Endless Sea, the Hengye of the Great Desolation world were only one of many branch clans. It was the birth and meteoric rise of Hengye Wuxin that enabled them to get the favor of the main branch. But even in that main branch, Xinzi only had one person to look up to—in theory, at least.
"Did you bring my original shell?" Xinzi asked. The sooner he returned to his original shell, the faster he could get rid of all suspicion. But before that inquiry, the five immortals shuddered, not knowing where to put themselves.
"This…the Lord-Regent…she…said that she must first inspect the status of your current body and make sure that you haven't crossed certain lines—less she forgets about it after…glancing at your original form." The third elder stuttered as he spoke, clearly rattled by this state of affairs. He wasn't the only one.
"Damn that woman! How dare she act so insolently and investigate your actions?! Merely because she received the Divine Ancestor's whip and blessing, she dares to disrespect the master of the night and future ruler of the Celestial Paradise! Greatest One, fear not, once you go through your Divine Consecration and unleash your true potential, that woman will pay back all that she owes!" The fifth elder, youngest of the bunch, couldn't hold his tongue. Boiling rage reddened his pale skin, and his balled fists trembled as he recalled past events.
'If I don't grow fast enough, that Divine Consecration will be the end of me." Xinzi, however, shook his head. In these Night Spirits' eyes, he was the closest thing to the Thousand-Faced God. They worshiped what he represented, not the person that they faced. Xinzi didn't care for such worship and knew that if he failed to transcend the divine laws before his consecration, he could never escape Yongye's shadow.
Divine light gushed out of his bones, filling the entire hall with blinding Divine Power. The five elders' eyes widened in disbelief. Instinctively, they tried to lift their heads, but the worship ingrained in their bones took over, preventing them from committing the offense. Still, all five wondered how and why their Greatest One had accumulated such colossal divine power in this secondary mortal shell. Worse, from that Divine Power, they sensed rebellious principles that seemed to challenge—or worst, suppress—Heaven's Will.
"You may rise. As you can see, I've made mistakes and deserve the investigation. Due to the previous monarch's actions, Hengye Yuemi has been anointed as the envoy of our Divine Ancestor. Here in the Great Desolation world, she is the Thousand-Faced God. Fifth elder, My Divine Self understands your rage and can look past your words. But never forget that Yuemi's actions are beyond reproach. It would be a shame if the Night lost such a young and promising immortal," Xinzi said, and aware of these truths the fifth elder banged his head once more. Still, the resentment that he felt for both Qingxin and Yuemi only grew stronger.
"Thank you, Greatest One, for this warning!" He said, then in tandem, the five elders stood up—yet still kept their heads bowed in a show of deference. Xinzi too stood up. Before him, the five elders dared not spread their Spiritual Senses, so they had no knowledge of his foundation-quality, Inverse Dao Seals, or even the wine gourd in his right hand.
"We've successfully tricked Hengye Wuxin into thinking that I'm merely an outstanding scion of the Evernight Palace. Look at what he has given me. It's only a matter of time before I can snatch the Records of the Eternal Night from his hands. When I do, we can all put this shameful past behind us," Xinzi said, and waved the gourd at the five elders. Taking it as an invitation to study the content, they let their Spiritual Senses spread out—studying the content. Subsequently, their eyes almost popped out of their socket.
"The Wailing Immortal Blood Wine!" For the first time, the five lost their bearing, staring slack-jawed at the wine gourd.
Several times the size of the five continents, the Endless Sea stretched so far and wide that, in the past, even the Eternal Night Dynasty struggled to keep it all in check. The islands and archipelagos were no big deal, but in the depths of the Endless Sea hid ancient dangers and bloodlines that even the past Hengye rulers dared not casually mess with. Add to that the abundance of resources, and occasionally, legendary creatures would rise to challenge the Night—preventing them from maintaining absolute control of the sea.
The Great Kun Dynasty and Immortal Dragon Palace were the worst of these threats, but Qingxin alone slaughtered them all, and turned the Immortal Dragon King and Kun Emperor's bloods into the finest brew of the Great Desolation world.
Qingxin didn't just give Xinzi this wine so he could celebrate the abolition of his monastic vows. No, across this world, one would be hard-pressed to find a better cultivation resource. And before it landed in Xinzi's hands, only two people had tasted a cup of this wine: Qingxin himself, and the mortal wife that made him discard the Night.
Not even Yuemi, his legal wife, or Baxian, his eldest son, had had the opportunity to taste the brew. So, more than a cultivation resource, it was Qingxin's proof of fatherly love.
With that in his hands, no one could question Xinzi's progress—and Qingxin knew it well.
"Hahaha, Greatest One, if that treasonous scum knew of your true identity, he might eat his mortal heart out of grief."
"Serves him well. He can only blame himself for betraying the Night."
Our monk disliked making fun of his master's affection, and disliked others spitting on it even more. But for the sake of appearances, he had to stay stoic—so, stoic he stayed.
"There's a person I must bring with me so I can fully explain the situation to the Lord-Regent. I also need to visit a few mortals so my absence here will not raise eyebrows. Wait for me," Xinzi said, and without a care for the five's reaction, walked out of the Liberation Temple.. They stayed behind, arms crossed and head bowed—awaiting return.