"Esteemed Prince Hill, ninth-generation disciple of the Hill family, Hill Leicester requests an audience."
The Patriarch of the Blood Clan stood bowed before an ancient pavilion, his demeanor utmost respect, even if no one was watching.
Thousands of years ago, the Blood Clan was actually far more powerful. Besides the most powerful Progenitor, there were more than ten Princes, utterly suppressing the then Holy See of Light.
However, after that great war, the Blood Clan Progenitor was struck into slumber, and only three Princes remained. These three lineages, passed down, formed the three major direct bloodlines of the Blood Clan today.
The Hill family, the Roosevelt family, and the Moses family were families formed from the surnames of the three surviving Princes, just as Eirene's full name was Hill Eirene.
And Prince Hill was the most powerful and ancient existence of their Hill family.
"Enter, Leicester."
After a long time, a drawn-out and ancient voice emanated from the ancient pavilion. Upon hearing it, the Patriarch of the Blood Clan, Leicester, couldn't help but tremble with excitement.
Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Leicester then stepped, treading on the void, as if on a pilgrimage, towards the pavilion.
There were no stairs to the pavilion. It was supported below by a single stone pillar. Atop the pillar, the pavilion loomed, half-visible in the dense blood mist, like a phantom palace in the sky, appearing utterly dreamlike.
The pavilion was not very high, yet with every step Leicester took on the void upwards, he felt an immense pressure in his heart.
Blood energy swirled around the pavilion. The higher he ascended, the more concentrated the blood energy became. As he neared the top, even he, a peak God realm member of the Blood Clan, felt a slight dizziness in his head and his body felt strangely buoyant.
At this moment, three old men sat cross-legged on three sides of the pavilion. With every breath, vast amounts of blood energy were drawn into their nostrils and mouths, then exhaled as white mist.
"Ninth-generation disciple of the Hill family, Leicester, pays his respects to the Progenitor, Prince Roosevelt, and Prince Moses."
Even with his cultivation at the peak of the God realm, a mere step away from Earth Immortality, Leicester still felt an indescribable pressure before these three Princes.
"Leicester, you are one of the most talented juniors in my lineage. Sooner or later, you will be qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. There's no need to be so reserved." Prince Hill's expression was gentle. His eyes fixed on Leicester; he was quite satisfied with this descendant.
After all, many of his descendants had reached the God realm, but only Leicester had cultivated to the peak of the God realm with such vigorous vitality.
"Yes," Leicester nodded.
"Speak, why have you come this time?" 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 him, whose gaze from behind made Leicester's backside involuntarily clench.
"What major event has occurred in the Holy See of Light?" Prince Moses asked proactively, his voice like a melodious sound, echoing in Leicester's mind.
For these three Princes, there were few forces 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 statement plunged the three Princes into silence. The Holy See already had one more Arbiter than they did. Now, with Campbell entering the Earth Immortal realm, the three Princes knew that life would likely not be as easy going forward.
Although Campbell had only just broken through, and his strength was not something they greatly feared, with the Holy See's nurturing, Campbell's strength would undoubtedly increase rapidly, reaching a level close to theirs. At that point, he would become another significant problem.
"Such news, the Holy See would surely keep it a secret. How did you obtain it?" Prince Hill spoke again after a long silence.
"This is precisely what I have come to tell the three Princes."
Feeling that the time was right, Leicester began to narrate Zhang Fan's story, his entire life, including his relationship with his daughter Eirene.
"An Earth Immortal in his twenties?"
Even having lived for hundreds of years, the three Princes were greatly shocked by this news. Simultaneously, they harbored many other speculations.
"Where is the current Grandmaster Zhang?" Prince Roosevelt, who had been silent, asked.
"He is within the Progenitor's ancient castle. Grandmaster Zhang needed a place to cultivate in seclusion, so I brought him into the secret chamber I usually use for cultivation."
"Let me see!"
Prince Hill said, his eyes suddenly narrowing. Bloodlight swirled within his pupils, and his pair of blood-red eyes appeared dreamlike and illusory, making it impossible to gaze upon them directly.
"What powerful blood energy!"
Prince Hill's gaze penetrated numerous obstacles, seeing Zhang Fan cultivating in the secret chamber. However, due to the formations blocking his view, he could only sense the vigorous blood energy of the figure within the formation, unable to discern his form.
"Illusionary Blood Eyes!"
Seeing his ancestor's technique, Leicester quickly sealed his divine sense, calming his mind. He knew that he absolutely could not meet his ancestor's blood-red eyes, lest he fall into a trance and lose face.
Zhang Fan, who was in seclusion, suddenly felt he was being spied upon and opened his eyes. He looked in the direction of Prince Hill, a smile gradually appearing on his face.
Although Zhang Fan's realm had not yet reached the Core Condensation realm, his perception was significantly stronger than that of an ordinary Core Condensation cultivator. Thus, when Prince Hill used his eye technique to spy on Zhang Fan, he also exposed himself to Zhang Fan's awareness.
"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 strength of the Blood Clan would also be substantial. Three Earth Immortals were within his expectations.
"However, with just this strength, if the old fellows from the Holy See come hunting, they might not fare well."
Zhang Fan pondered for a long time. In the end, he retrieved a spirit pill radiating golden light from the Star Image Space Stone. It was the Golden Scale Yuan Breaking Pill.
This pill was refined with a first-grade Golden Core of the Half-Moon Immortal as the main ingredient, making it a treasure pill. Even with Zhang Fan's cultivation, he could only refine three at a time.
One of these had already been given to his mother, Su Yun. Originally, Zhang Fan had plans for the other two, intending to give them to his father and Qin Luoshui after they entered the Sacred Domain.
However, under the current circumstances, Zhang Fan decided to consume these two Golden Scale Yuan Breaking Pills himself to elevate his strength in the shortest possible time.
...