Chapter 145 Reunion Once More

The estate of Prince Qi covered a vast territory of at least a thousand miles, filled with rolling mountain ranges, winding rivers, and sparkling lakes. Many close relatives of Prince Qi resided within the estate, making it exceptionally lively and bustling.

Upon arriving at the Prince Qi estate in the company of Sword Immortal Canggu, Yuntian did not immediately gain an audience with Prince Qi. Instead, an elder who was a loose immortal summoned Yuntian, conversed with him casually, and then had someone arrange a residence for him within the estate to stay temporarily while awaiting Prince Qi's summons. After all, Prince Qi was the preeminent celestial immortal of the Great Xia imperial family, holding a supremely noble status, and could not be met on a mere whim.

Nevertheless, the residence arranged by the loose immortal elder for Yuntian was remarkably pleasant, nestled against the mountains and overlooking the water—truly a magnificent immortal dwelling.

Yuntian did not have to wait for long. On the third day after his arrival at the Prince Qi estate, the loose immortal elder once again came to Yuntian's quarters.

"Yuntian, the Old Ancestor Prince Qi summons you," the loose immortal elder said directly with a faint smile, dispensing with pleasantries as he led Yuntian away.

This loose immortal elder was also a descendant of Prince Qi. Because his cultivation strength was among the most formidable of all loose immortals, he held a position of considerable prestige within the Prince Qi estate. He seemed rather fond of Yuntian, a talented junior who was also a descendant of Prince Qi, and had been exceedingly courteous to him from the very first moment they met.

The loose immortal elder led Yuntian straight into a solemn, ancient hall. Seated upon the throne at the very apex of the hall was a man clad in a bright yellow long robe embroidered with the pattern of a Yinglong dragon. His facial features were soft, and his eyes shone as brightly as the stars. He was none other than Prince Qi, the most powerful celestial immortal of the Great Xia imperial family.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor! Reporting to the Old Ancestor, Yuntian has been brought here," the loose immortal elder stepped forward first, bowing respectfully.

Hesitating slightly, Yuntian also stepped forward and bowed to Prince Qi, saying, "Yuntian pays his respects to Old Ancestor Prince Qi!"

"Mm." Prince Qi nodded slightly, his starlight-bright eyes gazing at Yuntian. A faint sigh escaped his slightly furrowed brow. "Your talent is remarkable, and although you likely never acquired a supreme visualization technique, your divine soul is nevertheless extraordinarily potent. It seems you are indeed a reincarnated celestial immortal. What a pity; for a reincarnated celestial immortal, undergoing the tribulations to become a celestial immortal is all the more arduous."

Prince Qi paused briefly before continuing, "However, nothing in this world is absolute, and every path holds a sliver of possibility. Given your talent, even if you fail to become a celestial immortal, attaining the rank of a top-tier loose immortal in the future will be entirely unproblematic. It is rare indeed for a talent as exceptional as you to emerge among my descendants."

"I had Sword Immortal Canggu bring you here this time for two reasons: first, to meet you; and second, to bestow upon you certain supplementary resources so that you may walk the path of immortality more smoothly. As for everything else, you must rely on your own striving and hard work. If you wish to become a celestial immortal, external aids ultimately have limited utility." With a wave of his hand, Prince Qi produced a ring resembling yellow jade and tossed it to Yuntian. "The treasures, divine abilities, and secret arts I wish to grant you are all contained within. They should be more than sufficient for your needs. From this day forward, you are free to enter and leave the Prince Qi estate at your leisure, and you may remain in the residence assigned to you for as long as you desire."

Following this, with a subtle wave of Prince Qi's hand as a signal, the loose immortal elder departed with Yuntian, who bowed deeply in gratitude.

Back in his residence, Yuntian bound the storage ring bestowed by Prince Qi to his soul, and his eyes instantly lit up. The storage ring alone was already a magical treasure of the celestial tier, and it was fully stocked with all manner of cultivation-assisting treasures, magical items, divine abilities, and secret manuals. What surprised and delighted Yuntian the most was the presence of a full one million catties of liquid elemental essence within it.

"A divine soul attack secret art, *Forming Soldiers with a Single Thought*?" Yuntian began browsing through the several divine abilities and secret arts that Prince Qi had specially prepared for him.

In the days that followed, although Yuntian spent almost all his time in quiet cultivation within the Prince Qi estate, news of his arrival in the royal capital gradually spread. Some of the well-informed factions and powerhouses in the royal capital learned that the Xiàmáng clan had produced yet another outstanding talented scion, who happened to be a descendant of Prince Qi.

However, Yuntian kept an extremely low profile and scarcely interacted even with the other kindred descendants of Prince Qi within the estate. Consequently, those who wished to curry favor with him or make his acquaintance found virtually no opportunity to do so.

In the blink of an eye, more than three years passed. During this period, Prince Qi summoned Yuntian only once to inquire about his cultivation progress.

At Yuntian's residence in the Prince Qi estate, situated on a wooden broken bridge near the water outside the waterside pavilion, Yuntian sat cross-legged, engaged in fishing. He was the sole occupant of the entire estate, which appeared exceptionally serene and tranquil. As for Yuqiu, Huofeng, and Yuntian's second avatar, they were all cultivating quietly within the portable immortal dwelling and rarely emerged.

"Young Master Yuntian!" Accompanied by light footsteps, a middle-aged man wearing a plain gray robe walked over from afar. From a distance, he bowed respectfully to Yuntian and said, "News has just been received regarding Disciple Jining of the Black-White College of Antan Commandery; he has arrived at the royal capital."

"Oh? He has finally come?" Hearing this, Yuntian raised an eyebrow, waved his hand to signal the middle-aged man to withdraw, and then put down his fishing rod. He stood up, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he gazed into the distance. "It has been many years, and it is time for me to go out and meet this junior apprentice-brother of mine!"

...

Outside the main gates of the Prince Yan estate, a short, disheveled old man was waiting—none other than Elder Wufeng.

"Hmm?" Seeming to sense something, Elder Wufeng turned his head to look. In the distance, a fiery phoenix several zhang long, wreathed in raging flames, was flying toward them. Standing upon the back of the phoenix were a black-robed youth and a tall, cold, and peerless beauty in black robes—precisely Yuntian and Yuqiu.

Trailing closely behind them were a full one hundred armored guards in golden armor, bestowed upon Yuntian by Prince Qi. These one hundred golden-armored guards were divided into two squads, each led by a loose immortal commanding forty-nine primordial spirit Daoists. The golden armor they wore was Dao-soldier armor, and when combined, their forces could coalesce into a divine dragon whose might was formidable enough to rival ten ordinary loose immortals.

"Yuntian?" When Elder Wufeng clearly recognized Yuntian—especially upon seeing the golden-armored guards following behind him—his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Haha... Master, it has been a long time!" Yuntian laughed heartily as he leaped down from the back of the fire phoenix, landing right in front of Elder Wufeng.

Recovering from his shock, Elder Wufeng could not help but blurt out, "Yuntian, you... why are you in the Great Xia royal capital? And how could you possibly command the golden-armored guards?"

"Master may not know this, but my mother is a member of the Great Xia imperial family, belonging to the lineage of Prince Qi. Over three years ago, I was summoned by Prince Qi, and I have been cultivating here in the Prince Qi estate ever since. Your disciple has not returned to the Black-White College to pay his respects to you all these years; I hope Master will not hold it against me," Yuntian said with a smile.

Hearing this, Elder Wufeng was once again taken aback, then glared playfully at Yuntian. "You still have the nerve to say that? With an arch-support like Prince Qi, a celestial immortal ancestor of the Great Xia dynasty, would a brat like you even remember this master of yours?"

"Master, what are you saying? Even if I were to become a true god or Dao ancestor, I could never forget my master!" Yuntian placated him with a smile.

"Come, Yuqiu, step forward and pay your respects to my master, Elder Wufeng." Waving Yuqiu to his side, Yuntian smiled and introduced her to Elder Wufeng. "Master, come, let me introduce you. This is your disciple's cultivation partner, Yuqiu!"

"A true god or Dao ancestor indeed—you certainly dare to dream," Elder Wufeng retorted, casting a sidelong glance at Yuntian before his gaze shifted to Yuqiu with a raised eyebrow. "The Yao race?"

At that very moment, a youth clad in beast skins walked out from within the Prince Yan estate—none other than Jining.

"Grandmaster! Senior Apprentice-brother Yuntian?" Jining looked toward them with pleasant surprise, but upon noticing Yuntian, his eyes widened in shock as well. "Senior Apprentice-brother Yuntian, you are in the royal capital too? Eh? Golden-armored guards?"

Yuntian looked at Jining with a smile and said, "Junior Apprentice-brother Jining, it has been a long time! I arrived at the royal capital several years earlier than you. However, you are currently staying at the Prince Yan estate, whereas I have spent these past few years residing at the Prince Qi estate."

"Prince Qi?" Jining muttered in surprise and puzzlement, secretly speculating about the relationship between Yuntian and Prince Qi, while hurriedly calling out with a smile, "Grandmaster, Senior Apprentice-brother Yuntian, please come in. Quickly, let us go inside and talk!"

With these words, the group entered the Prince Yan estate together, proceeded to Jining's immortal dwelling, and took their respective seats as host and guests.