At this moment, Ancestor Gu Xuan asked Huai with a hint of confusion, "Sect Master! I don't think I should ask this question, but can you please answer it for me?"
Huai nodded toward him. "You can ask me anything, Ancestor. I accepted you as my family long ago." He smiled warmly at Gu Xuan.
Ancestor Gu Xuan asked, "Then, what realm are you and the Grand Elder in now? We have always had doubts about your realm. Now, we have doubts about the Grand Elder's realm too..." He looked toward Yan Wuhe with inquiring eyes as well.
Everyone in the hall looked toward Huai and Wuhe, eager for an answer.
Huai and Wuhe both had smiles on their faces. Huai spoke, "I know it's frustrating to not know our realms, but if I tell you, you need to promise us something."
Everyone nodded in unison. They would promise anything at this moment.
Huai continued, "Promise me you will not tell anyone about our realms, and that you will never become complacent or arrogant, because Wuhe and I will not interfere with anything unless the entire sect is at stake."
Everyone nodded, their faces serious, and said in unison, "We promise you, Sect Master! We promise you, Grand Elder!"
Huai looked at Wuhe, who nodded back at him before turning his gaze to the assembled members. "I was a Divine Emperor in my previous life," he said, his voice calm but carrying an ancient weight. "After my death, I woke up here, regained my memories, and have now only reached the realm of Immortal Saint peak, a powerful cultivator even in the Immortal Realm."
A collective gasp swept through the hall. Everyone, from the ancestors to the newest disciples, stared at Wuhe as if they were looking at a creature of legend. An Immortal! A real, living Immortal. They had all dreamed of one day reaching the Immortal Realm, and now they were hearing that their own Grand Elder was an Immortal Saint.
Then, a perplexing thought struck them all at once. Why would an Immortal Saint, a being of such legendary power, show such genuine reverence and stand behind their Sect Master? Their gazes all shifted to Huai.
Huai was still smiling, watching their reactions with amusement. "Don't worry about your Grand Elder's realm," he said loudly. "He will soon recover his former power. And you will all have to wait a long, long time to reach his level. See, he told you he was a Divine Emperor in his previous life, right?"
Everyone nodded, confused. They understood the concept of the Immortal Realm and could guess at the power of such beings. But what was a Divine Emperor?
Huai continued, "The Divine Realm is a realm even above the Immortal Realm. Even the highest-ranking immortals wish to reach that realm their entire lives. He was stronger than any normal being in the Divine Realm. He was an emperor among them."
Silence. A profound, heavy silence fell over the hall, broken only by the sound of someone gulping audibly. What kind of good deeds had they done in their past lives to encounter their Grand Elder?
At this moment, Ancestor Gu Xuan asked again, his voice trembling slightly, "Sect Master... what realm are you in now?"
Huai smiled and said three simple words. "Divine Sovereign peak."
Everyone looked to Wuhe for an explanation. This time, Wuhe spoke with immense pride for his partner, his voice ringing through the hall. "The Sect Master is a being that even those old fools in the Divine Realm, who have sat at the apex for millions of years, would pale in comparison to. He is at the absolute apex of the Divine Realm, on the verge of entering a completely new dimension."
Fear. Genuine, soul-shaking fear swept through the crowd. Some of the disciples couldn't handle the pressure and knelt on the ground. Now they understood. Now they knew why they could never see through their Sect Master, why he always felt so unfathomable, why he had changed the destiny of their Eternal Sect as if it were a mere trifle.
Ancestor Gu Xuan, the eight hall masters, and even the core disciples all took an involuntary step back. Perhaps when the previous sect master brought Huai to the sect, he had no idea he was picking up a literal divine being.
Ancestor Gu Xuan stammered, "Sect... Sect Master! Are you also someone who was reincarnated?"
Shen Huai's smile faded, and he frowned slightly before answering truthfully. "No. I don't know. But I can sense that something from my past is disturbing my mind and has caused a huge blunder. I just don't know what it is."
Then, his smile returned as he looked at the members of his sect. "You don't need to worry about any of that. Just do your best in your cultivation. I will help the Eternal Sect reach the apex."
Everyone nodded, their fear now mixed with a boundless sense of respect and worship. Knowing the true realms of their Sect Master and Grand Elder, they understood just how terrifyingly powerful they were. They resolved to keep their promise to their dying day.
After that, Huai distributed rewards. Each and every member received at least Tier 4 resources; weapons, medicines, talismans, and pills of various types. Now that they had reached the Star Realm, lower-level resources were mere trinkets to them.
Once the distribution was complete, Huai dismissed the meeting. The members left the Eternal Hall, heading back to their personal courtyards and rooms, their hearts filled with a mix of awe and renewed determination.
Huai remained on his throne, his scrutinizing eyes watching everyone depart.
He saw Mu Chen immediately run towards Xiao Yun, his face open and eager. Huo Ling'er spotted Lan Suyin and gracefully went to meet her. But in the case of Lin Feng, he merely stood and watched Bai Wei from a distance, never approaching to say hello. He just stood there for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking silently towards his own home. When Lin Feng started to walk away, Bai Wei also stopped and looked back, watching Lin Feng's retreating figure. He, too, stared into the distance for a few seconds before continuing on to his room.
Huai and Wuhe saw everything. Huai sighed.
Wuhe commented, "What do you think about Mu Chen and Xiao Yun?"
Huai looked at him and said, "I'm not thinking about them. Mu Chen can handle it. He's a bit stupid, but he knows his feelings well and isn't afraid to express them. Xiao Yun loves him back, he just lacks the confidence to show it."
Huai continued, his voice more serious, "I'm more concerned about Lin Feng and Bai Wei."
Wuhe also frowned at the mention of their names. He had his suspicions but wasn't sure. "Do they like each other as well?"
Huai explained, "Lin Feng and Bai Wei have liked each other from the moment they joined the sect. Lin Feng has been giving Bai Wei gifts anonymously all this time. Bai Wei thinks it's someone else, but he hasn't accepted that person's feelings because he has feelings for Lin Feng."
Wuhe commented, "That's quite messy."
Huai nodded and chuckled. "Then we'll have to untie that knot, won't we?"
Wuhe asked, confused, "But how? You're not going to just tell them their secrets, are you?"
Huai got up and walked over to Wuhe, wrapping his arms around his neck. Wuhe's hands unconsciously went to Huai's waist, holding him close.
"I already told them I would take action myself if they didn't confess soon," Huai murmured, his face close to Wuhe's. "It's been twenty years since then. Do you think I, as their senior brother, would let them continue to suffer like this?"
Before Wuhe could answer, Huai closed the small distance between them and locked his lips with his. Wuhe instantly understood. He had been so focused on the disciples' drama that he hadn't realized Huai was teasing him.
Huai continuously initiated the kiss, and Wuhe answered back with equal passion, devouring Huai's lips. He could feel Huai getting bolder and bolder the more time they spent together. The wolf form inside him started to roar in his heart. 'So what if he is getting bold? I like my bold Huai. Just let me take control.'
Wuhe firmly suppressed his inner wolf, focusing on the pleasure of his lover's kiss.
That evening, two beautiful, identical letters appeared on the desks of Lin Feng and Bai Wei.
Both had just returned to their rooms. They freshened up and were about to have dinner before turning in for the night. The twenty years inside the Time Tower hadn't aged them a day on the outside. The benefit of being cultivators ,but the experience and maturity they had gained were on a completely different level.
Lin Feng noticed something shining on his table. He got up from his bed to investigate and found a beautiful, sealed letter.
He opened it, and his heart immediately began to pound so loudly he thought it might burst from his chest. It was Bai Wei's handwriting. He loved him so much that he could recognize that elegant script from a thousand others.
He grabbed the letter with both hands and read:
[ Brother Lin Feng,
I know it's weird of me to ask you for a favor, but can you meet me at the tree where we first met?
I want to tell you something. Please come alone.
- Bai Wei ]
Lin Feng closed the letter, his face flushing red. He didn't know why, but if this was real, he was about to meet his crush under that very same tree. Without a second thought, he immediately left his room and ran towards their meeting spot.
Just after he left, a shadow flickered into existence in his room for a brief moment, then vanished as if it had never been there.
At the same time, in his own courtyard, Bai Wei had also discovered the letter. He picked it up, his brow furrowed in confusion. As he broke the seal and unfolded the paper, his breath caught in his throat. It was the handwriting of the person who had always given him gifts and written simple, flirty letters. It had been twenty years since the last one. He sighed, then read it.
Bai Wei,
It's been 20 years since I last saw you, or sent you gifts. I wanted to meet you face to face this time.
Will you meet me at the old banyan tree just behind the Eternal Hill?
- Your stupid admirer.
Bai Wei closed the letter and looked into the distance, towards the banyan tree. That tree was incredibly important to him, because it was where he had met his crush, Lin Feng, for the very first time.
He sighed again. He had wanted to put an end to this person's one-sided love for a long, long time. He was finally ready to tell them that he loved someone else. He loved Lin Feng. So, steeling his resolve, he got up and headed towards the tree.
And just as before, a shadow appeared behind him for an instant, and then vanished.
Under the shade of the ancient banyan tree, Lin Feng waited, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs. When Bai Wei finally arrived, his steps slowing as he recognized the figure in the twilight, he froze.
Lin Feng looked at Bai Wei, and his own heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest.
Bai Wei was the first to speak, his voice stammering. "Brother... Brother Lin? Are you that anonymous person who sent those gifts to me?"
A knot of confusion formed in Lin Feng's stomach. He had never told Bai Wei that he was the one. "How did you know, Bai Wei?" he asked, a frown creasing his brow. "And did you ask me to come here just to ask me this?"
Bai Wei looked even more shocked and confused. "Aren't you the one who asked me to come here? Who sent me this letter?" He held out the paper he had received.
Frowning, Lin Feng produced his own letter. "See? I thought you asked me to come here."
They exchanged the letters. A wave of disbelief washed over both of them as they saw their own, unmistakable handwriting on letters they had never written.