"Esteemed Prince Hill, ninth-generation disciple of the Hill family, Hill Leicester requests an audience."
The patriarch of the Blood Clan stood with a bow before an ancient pavilion, his demeanor one of utmost respect even though no one was there to witness it.
Thousands of years ago, the strength of the Blood Clan was indeed far greater. Besides the most powerful progenitor, there were more than ten princes, keeping the Holy See of Light heavily suppressed.
However, after a great war, the progenitor of the Blood Clan was struck into slumber, and only three princes remained. These three bloodlines, passed down through generations, formed the three major direct bloodlines of the current Blood Clan.
The Hill family, the Roosevelt family, and the Moses family were all named after the surviving princes. Just like Aile Bella, her full name was Hill Aile Bella.
And Prince Hill was the most powerful and ancient existence within their Hill family.
"Enter, Leicester."
After a long silence, a long and ancient voice emanated from the ancient pavilion. Upon hearing this voice, the patriarch of the Blood Clan, Leicester, couldn't help but tremble with excitement.
Taking a deep breath to calm his inner excitement, Leicester stepped forward, treading on the void as if on a pilgrimage towards the pavilion.
There were no stairs to the pavilion. It was supported by a single stone pillar below. Atop the pillar, the pavilion shimmered in the dense blood mist, appearing like a castle in the sky, dreamlike.
The pavilion was not very tall, but with every step Leicester took in the void, he felt an increasing pressure in his heart.
Blood energy swirled around the pavilion. The higher he ascended, the more concentrated the blood energy became. By the time he neared the top, even he, a peak God realm expert of the Blood Clan, felt a slight dizziness and a sensation of being adrift.
At this moment, three elders sat cross-legged on three sides of the pavilion. With each breath, a large amount of blood energy flowed into their mouths and noses, only to be exhaled as white mist.
"Hill family, ninth-generation disciple, Leicester, pays his respects to the Ancestor, Prince Roosevelt, and Prince Moses."
Even with his cultivation at the peak God realm, only a step away from Earth Immortal, facing these three princes, Leicester still felt an ineffable pressure.
"Leicester, you are one of the most talented juniors of my lineage. Sooner or later, you will be on par with us. There is no need to be so restrained." Prince Hill's expression was amiable. His eyes were fixed on Leicester. He was quite satisfied with this descendant of his.
After all, many of his descendants had reached the God realm, but very few had cultivated to the peak God realm with such robust vitality as Leicester.
"Yes." Leicester nodded in acknowledgment.
"Speak, what is the reason for your visit?" Prince Hill asked.
"It concerns the Holy See of Light," Leicester said with a grave expression.
Upon hearing the words "Holy See of Light," the other two princes, who had previously kept their eyes closed, suddenly opened them and stared intently at Leicester. Especially the prince behind Leicester, whose gaze made his posterior tighten.
"What major event has occurred within the Holy See of Light?" Prince Moses asked, his voice like an illusion, echoing in Leicester's mind.
For the three of them, there were not many powers on this planet that warranted their attention, but the Holy See of Light was undoubtedly at the very top of the list.
"The current Pope of the Holy See, Campbell, has broken through the God realm and entered the Earth Immortal realm."
Leicester's words cast a silence upon the three princes. The Holy See already had one more Arbiter than them, and now with Campbell entering the Earth Immortal realm, the three princes knew that their future days would not be as easy.
Although Campbell had only just broken through, and they did not regard his current strength highly, with the nurturing of the Holy See, Campbell's strength would undoubtedly increase rapidly, reaching a level close to theirs. By then, he would be another significant threat.
"Such news should be kept strictly confidential by the Holy See. How did you obtain it?" After a long silence, Prince Hill spoke again.
"This is precisely why I have come to inform the three princes."
Feeling that the time was right, Leicester began to recount Zhang Fan's story, detailing his life and his relationship with his daughter, Aile Bella.
"An Earth Immortal in his twenties?"
Even though they had lived for centuries, the three princes were visibly shaken by this news. Simultaneously, they began to form other conjectures.
"Where is that Master Zhang currently located?" Prince Roosevelt, who had been silent, inquired.
"He is within the Ancestral Castle. Master Zhang required a place for closed-door cultivation, so I brought him into the secret chamber I usually use."
"Let me see!"
As Prince Hill spoke, his eyes suddenly narrowed, blood-red light swirling within them. His blood-colored eyes appeared dreamlike and illusory, making it impossible to look directly at them.
"Such potent blood energy!"
Prince Hill's eyes pierced through numerous obstacles, glimpsing Zhang Fan who was in seclusion within the secret chamber. However, due to the formations, he could only sense the vigorous blood energy of the figure within the formations and not discern his form.
"Illusory Blood Eyes!"
Upon witnessing the technique employed by his ancestor, Leicester quickly sealed his divine sense, stabilizing his mind. He knew that he absolutely must not meet his ancestor's blood-red gaze, as falling into it would lead to great embarrassment.
Zhang Fan, who was in seclusion, suddenly felt a sense of being spied upon. He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of Prince Hill, a smile gradually appearing on his face.
Although Zhang Fan's cultivation had not yet reached the Core Formation realm, his perception was significantly stronger than that of ordinary cultivators in the Core Formation realm. Therefore, when Prince Hill used his ocular technique to spy on him, he inadvertently exposed himself to Zhang Fan.
"Three Earth Immortals. The strength of the Blood Clan is indeed not to be underestimated."
From the strength of the Holy See, Zhang Fan could infer that the hidden power of the Blood Clan would not be weak either. Three Earth Immortals were within his expectations.
"However, with just this level of strength, if those old fellows from the Holy See come charging over, they might find it difficult to gain an advantage."
Zhang Fan pondered for a long time, ultimately taking out a spirit pill that glowed with golden light from his Star Realm Space Stone. It was the Golden Scale Yuan Breaking Pill.
This pill was a precious concoction made with a Grade-one Golden Core from a Half-Moon Immortal as its primary ingredient. Even with Zhang Fan's cultivation, he could only refine three pills at once.
One of these pills had already been given to his mother, Su Yun. Originally, Zhang Fan had planned for the other two, intending to give them to his father and Qin Luoshui after they entered the Saint Domain.
However, under the current circumstances, Zhang Fan decided to consume these two Golden Scale Yuan Breaking Pills himself to rapidly enhance his strength in the shortest possible time.