Chapter 631: Tenfold and Even More
Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Tenfold and Even More
"Are you Zhong Shan?" Xiao Wang still couldn\'t believe it.
As soon as Xiao Wang asked, everyone turned to look at him, including the young master of the Heavenly Family, who was now also puzzled by Xiao Wang\'s behavior. What was Xiao Wang doing?
"Xiao Wang," Zhong Shan nodded.
Upon receiving confirmation from Zhong Shan, Xiao Wang looked at him with even more amazement. How did he come down here? Could it have been during the time when Gu Shentong opened the crack between the yin and yang realms?
"Xiao Wang, who is this?" the young master of the Heavenly Family asked, slightly puzzled.
"This is an old acquaintance from the mortal world," Xiao Wang immediately explained.
"Oh?" The young master of the Heavenly Family showed little expression on his lazy face.
At this moment, the Wine Elder was staring intently at the young master of the Heavenly Family, his eyes filled with doubt. But after a while, the Wine Elder moved closer to Zhong Shan. Seeing Zhong Shan\'s puzzled look, the Wine Elder said, "This is the young master of the Heavenly Family, a rare genius of the past ten thousand years, Tian Xiao!"
This scene was observed by Tian Xiao, who saw a flash of sharp intelligence in his eyes.
"Young master, I request permission to capture this traitor of the Heavenly Family!" one of the Heavenly Family disciples stepped forward and said.
"I request permission to capture this traitor of the Heavenly Family!" The requests kept coming. The numerous disciples of the Heavenly Family all stepped forward, requesting to capture the Wine Elder. The Wine Elder initially showed panic in his eyes, but upon remembering Zhong Shan\'s presence beside him, he calmed down, the initial fear disappearing.
Seeing the Wine Elder\'s change, Tian Xiao was slightly intrigued. He glanced at Zhong Shan and then back at the Wine Elder.
With a wave of his hand, all the Heavenly Family disciples fell silent.
"Uncle Eight, it\'s been five hundred years since we last met, hasn\'t it?" Tian Xiao smiled at the Wine Elder.
Tian Xiao\'s tone was very mild, but it carried an air of absolute authority. None of the Heavenly Family disciples behind him dared to speak.
"Tian Xiao!" The Wine Elder forced a smile, but it looked very strained.
"I remember the first spell I learned was taught by you, Uncle Eight. I never imagined that the uncle I respected the most would end up betraying the Heavenly Family," Tian Xiao sighed, shaking his head.
"Betray? You know very well whether I betrayed or not!" The Wine Elder\'s face turned cold.
Shaking his head, Tian Xiao said, "Uncle Eight, don\'t you understand? Whether you betrayed or not is not for me to decide, but for the elders of the family."
"What? Do you want to capture me and take me back?" the Wine Elder asked in a deep voice.
"With your abilities, I believe you can sense that I, Tian Xiao, have never had any ill intentions towards you," Tian Xiao said with a smile.
Upon hearing Tian Xiao\'s words, the Wine Elder\'s expression turned uncertain. He stared at Tian Xiao and said, "You don\'t want to extract that ability from me? Didn\'t the elders say they would teach it to you if they extracted it from me?"
"Haha, is that so? I am not aware of that. However, because you are my Uncle Eight, I won\'t trouble you. Besides, I am too lazy to trouble you," Tian Xiao shook his head.
Upon hearing Tian Xiao\'s words, the Wine Elder\'s expression remained uncertain, unable to tell whether Tian Xiao was being truthful or not.
"Rest assured, you should know my character, Uncle Eight. I always keep my word. If I say I won\'t trouble you, then I won\'t. But as for the other disciples in the family, I can\'t say. At that time, you\'ll have to rely on your own abilities. I believe with your skills, avoiding the Heavenly Family members shouldn\'t be too difficult," Tian Xiao said with a smile.
Staring at Tian Xiao, the Wine Elder observed him for a while longer before finally nodding, his gaze becoming much softer.
"You don\'t need to worry about the rest," the Wine Elder said, shaking his head.
"Your Majesty, we will leave now," the Wine Elder said respectfully to Zhong Shan.
Seeing the Wine Elder\'s respectful demeanor towards Zhong Shan, a glint of curiosity flashed through Tian Xiao\'s eyes.
"Very well," Zhong Shan nodded. There was nothing more to say in front of outsiders.
The Heavenly Family members, who had previously been indignant, fell silent after Tian Xiao decided not to trouble the Wine Elder. Although disappointment was evident in their eyes, none dared to speak.
"Be careful," Gu Qianyou reminded Zhong Shan as she prepared to leave.
"Don\'t worry," Zhong Shan nodded.
A group of them stepped onto a white cloud, ready to depart.
"Uncle Eight!" Tian Xiao suddenly called out to the Wine Elder.
The Wine Elder turned to Tian Xiao, frowning, "What is it now?"
"Before you go, let me give you one more piece of advice," Tian Xiao said with a smile.
"What is it?"
"With great power comes great responsibility. Take care, Uncle Eight," Tian Xiao said with a meaningful smile.
"Hmph!" The Wine Elder\'s face darkened as he nodded.
Gu Qianyou and her group quickly left the vicinity of the Sea of Blood, heading back the way they came.
Zhong Shan looked at Tian Xiao with curiosity. "With great power comes great responsibility?" This Tian Xiao didn\'t seem like a simple character. His words carried profound meaning and hinted at hidden motives.
After Gu Qianyou and her group left, only the Heavenly Family members, Zhong Shan, and Yin Luorie remained.
"Supreme Yin, your reputation precedes you. I\'ve long admired you," Tian Xiao said to Yin Luorie.
"The young master of the Heavenly Family is too kind. I am but a brute," Yin Luorie replied, shaking his head. Even with his formidable strength, he still held a certain level of caution towards the Heavenly Family.
"Young master, I have some personal matters to discuss with Zhong Shan," Xiao Wang suddenly said to Tian Xiao.
"Oh? Very well, go ahead," Tian Xiao said, slightly taken aback but nodding in agreement.
Seeing that Xiao Wang wanted to speak with him, Zhong Shan followed Xiao Wang to a secluded spot.
In the distance, Tian Xiao engaged in conversation with Yin Luorie, while Zhong Shan and Xiao Wang stood on another mountain peak.
"Mr. Xiao, what do you need to discuss with me?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Xiao Wang.
Xiao Wang deeply bowed to Zhong Shan.
"Mr. Xiao, what are you doing?" Zhong Shan quickly supported Xiao Wang.
"Are you now an emperor?" Xiao Wang asked.
"The Great Zhany Empire," Zhong Shan nodded.
"As I thought. Well, I shall address you as Emperor Zhong. That bow was for Ruyan!" Xiao Wang said solemnly, taking a deep breath.
"Ruyan? Is she well?" Zhong Shan asked.
"She is well. Because of you, I knew she was still alive, and in the decades spent in the underworld, I finally found her again," Xiao Wang said with deep emotion.
"But you don\'t look like a ghost," Zhong Shan remarked, surprised.
"It is thanks to the Heavenly Family. With their help, I was reincarnated, but only in the underworld," Xiao Wang said with a hint of complexity in his tone.
"Has Ruyan also been reincarnated?"
"No, the risks of reincarnation are too great. I couldn\'t bear to let her go through that," Xiao Wang shook his head.
"Understood," Zhong Shan nodded.
"Mr. Xiao, in the mortal world, there is something that weighs heavily on my mind. I wish to ask Emperor Zhong about it. Do you know anything?" Xiao Wang asked after a moment\'s thought, taking a deep breath.
"Are you asking about Jianhong?" Zhong Shan asked, staring at Xiao Wang.
"You know?" Xiao Wang was surprised.
"Yes," Zhong Shan sighed.
"Emperor Zhong, what happened?" Xiao Wang immediately inquired.
"Love often leaves behind nothing but regret. Mr. Xiao, see for yourself," Zhong Shan said, handing over a memory crystal.
Xiao Wang quickly used a spell to activate it. Inside, it showed the final scene of Jianhong\'s battle with Shen Qitian. This wasn\'t recorded by Zhong Shan but by Ah Da, who had made it a habit to record such events. Zhong Shan discovered it later and had Gu Qianyou bring it to the underworld.
"Mother, you can\'t die!"
"Die? I already died the moment your father did. If it weren\'t for revenge, I would have followed him long ago. Now, I can finally see him again," Jianhong said sorrowfully.
Watching the memory crystal, Xiao Wang\'s tears streamed down his face. A stalwart man was now weeping like a child. This didn\'t indicate that Xiao Wang had a weak heart but rather that his love was profoundly deep. Seeing the woman he loved die brutally at the hands of her enemy while seeking revenge for him shattered his heart. Clenching his teeth, Xiao Wang unintentionally crushed the memory crystal as the scene ended.
"Shen Qitian," Xiao Wang said coldly, his voice filled with an icy chill.
"Mr. Xiao?" Zhong Shan called.
Xiao Wang slowly returned to his senses and bowed deeply to Zhong Shan once more. "Emperor Zhong, I will forever remember your great kindness. I owe you two debts."
"I helped them not for your gratitude, so you don\'t need to feel indebted," Zhong Shan shook his head.
"You may not care for my debt, but I, Xiao Wang, cannot pretend it didn\'t happen. I cannot offer you much now, but in the future, I will repay you handsomely," Xiao Wang said solemnly.
"However, regarding Jianhong, you should find her as soon as possible. The underworld is vast and full of dangers," Zhong Shan said seriously.
"Thank you for your concern, Emperor Zhong," Xiao Wang nodded, clearly taking this matter to heart.
The two then talked for a while longer, though neither revealed much about their backgrounds. Both instinctively avoided discussing sensitive topics, focusing instead on general matters of the mortal and underworld.
After some time, Xiao Wang flew back to join the Heavenly Family, while Zhong Shan remained on the mountain, avoiding further interaction with them.
Yin Luorie also returned.
Tian Xiao, seeing Xiao Wang return, asked, "Xiao Wang, who is this Zhong Shan?"
"He is the current emperor of the Great Zhany Empire, an old acquaintance from the mortal world, and a renowned wise man," Xiao Wang answered honestly.
"A wise man? How does he compare to you?" Tian Xiao inquired.
"He surpasses me tenfold," Xiao Wang admitted frankly.
"Impossible!" Tian Xiao immediately retorted. To him, no one could surpass Xiao Wang by tenfold, not even himself.
"Tenfold or even several times more," Xiao Wang insisted firmly.