NOVPUBAfter a while, the group reached the large mountain that stood in the middle of the floating Royal City.
Under the snowfall, the whole mountain looked silver like a giant beast resting in the night.
Lucian noticed a thin layer of Array Formation covering the entire mountain, shimmering faintly with countless runes that moved like stars in the night sky.
The old man waved his hand and a hole appeared in the formation.
As the group entered through the hole, they finally saw what was hidden inside.
A vast Palace stood majestically before them, its golden roofs and jade pillars reaching toward the heavens!
Countless lanterns illuminated the palace, making it shine like a second moon in the night.
The palace was situated halfway up the mountain, surrounded by smaller buildings and gardens that stretched as far as the eye could see.
From this angle, they could only see half of the palace, but what they saw was already beyond anything they had ever witnessed.
The Royal Palace of Tianyu Empire looked like a commoner's house compared to this palace.
The concentration of Spiritual Energy here was the highest Lucian had ever felt!
The old man didn't speak and continued to fly towards the north side of the mountain.
Within five breaths, they reached a palace nestled against the mountain wall.
Unlike the vast palace they had seen earlier, this place was small and surrounded by snow-covered ancient pine trees.
At the next moment, the old man waved his hand and Lucian and his women were left in the garden of this small palace.
"Heal yourself, we'll talk tomorrow," Saying that the old man vanished like morning mist under the sun.
Lucian stared at the spot where the old man had been just a moment ago, his mind still trying to process everything that had happened.
"Are you guys alright?" A voice filled with concern suddenly came from behind them.
They turned around to see Eris running towards them, her beautiful face filled with worry.
"Mother!" Iris's lips curled up as she ran towards Eris.
"This was all my fault. If I just ignored that guy from the start, the situation wouldn't have reached this point," Iris hugged Eris and said apologetically, her purple eyes glistening softly.
Eris sighed and patted her head, "Let's not talk about that. I'm just glad that you guys are okay."
She then turned to look toward Lucian and said, "It's cold here. Let's get inside and talk."
Lucian nodded and took Sylvia's hand, guiding her towards the small palace.
Though his injuries had mostly healed thanks to the mysterious pill, exhaustion still weighed heavily on his body.
...
Crackle! Crackle!
The sound of fire echoed throughout the room as the five of them sat around a dining table filled with various dishes.
Steam rose from bowls of fragrant soup and plates of fried meats and vegetables.
The room was simple with a huge bed in one corner along with sofa and several chairs arranged near the fireplace.
Array formations were also etched into the walls, keeping the temperature pleasant despite the bitter cold outside.
"Respected sir and madams, please ring this bell if you need anything," A beautiful maid spoke respectfully. Seeing Lucian nod, she left after closing the door.
As the Array Formation of the room activated, Eris and Nysa waved her hand to reinforce it with her own spiritual energy.
"Now tell us, who is that old man?" Lucian asked directly, looking at Eris.
The question had been burning in his mind since they were rescued.
"He is the State Preceptor of the Dynasty and one of the strongest cultivators of this Continent," Eris spoke with a serious expression.
Lucian's face immediately changed, his chopsticks freezing midway to his mouth.
"Mother, you never mentioned you knew someone like him?" Iris spoke, her purple eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.
Eris sighed, "It's not something to be proud of."
She gulped down the entire glass of wine and closed her eyes.
Nobody disturbed her as they could feel Eris was collecting her thoughts, her beautiful face showing hints of pain from memories she had tried to bury.
After the time it took for a cup of water to boil, Eris opened her eyes and spoke, "When my father fled from my home continent, he was captured by Qi Ye. For years, he had been used like... a pet!"
Eris's voice trembled as she spoke, "At that time, I was too young to even speak properly."
"Fortunately, he had the Cursed Divine Treasure. I still don't know if the old man couldn't sense the Divine Treasure or simply didn't care about it. When the old man wasn't on this continent, Father used the Divine Treasure to break the seal Qi Ye had placed on his soul and fled with me," Eris's voice only grew more bitter as she continued.
"But I guess the heavens didn't want to let us have a peaceful life. Because within a few days after fleeing the Royal City, we encountered some cultivators who gravely injured him. Then I was left in the Tianyu Empire, and you know what happened next," Eris lowered her head, her purple hair falling forward to hide her face.
Lucian stood up and walked behind Eris, hugging her gently. His arms wrapped around her shoulders as he offered silent comfort.
"But that doesn't explain why did he help us?" Lucian asked softly when he felt her body relax.
Eris let out a bitter laugh, "Few years after Iris was born, Qi Ye came to meet me. He threatened to kill Iris. So I had no choice but to agree to help him get something from the Tribulation Realm. What mother wouldn't agree to such terms?
I didn't want others to know this relationship, but I knew you couldn't handle the aftermath of that fight. After all, the Royal City is complicated. Touching someone from the inner city isn't easy... So I had no choice but to ask for help."
