He had always yearned to find the Guhuang Great Emperor. He never imagined their meeting would take place in such a way.
"Do not be saddened. As Guhuang Great Emperor said, everything depends on fate. Perhaps in the future you may see him again. A Great Emperor does not perish so easily. Even if he were to fall, he would still continue to exist in this world in some form." Ye Yunfei offered his consolation.
"Right! Even Guhuang Great Emperor himself is not certain whether his true self lives or has died. All possibilities remain! A Great Emperor will not perish so easily!" After hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Hun Lao nodded vigorously and began to pull himself together.
"Young man, promise me one thing." At that moment, the gray-robed elder suddenly turned his gaze to Ye Yunfei and spoke.
"What is it?" Ye Yunfei was taken aback.
"If in the future you encounter any people of the Tianying Clan, bring them to see me. Also, if it becomes possible, please offer our Tianying Clan some assistance." the gray-robed elder said.
"If I encounter anyone from your Tianying Clan, I can bring them to you. As for helping your Tianying Clan... your clan's enemies must be extremely formidable. I'm not sure if I can be of help." Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before replying.
"You can. Even Gu Huang thinks so highly of you, even believing your foundation is no worse than his. This indicates your potential is limitless. Gu Huang's standards are anything but ordinary. For someone to earn his praise, they could never be an average person. Young man, it can be said that you are destined to become a renowned and prestigious figure across the three thousand major and minor worlds! You definitely can help our Tianying Clan. Besides, you have a connection with the current Tianying Wang. Helping our Tianying Clan would be akin to helping a friend."
"That's true, I do have a connection with the current Tianying Wang. Very well, if it is possible, I will offer your Tianying Clan assistance." Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Young man, I thank you." the gray-robed elder said gratefully.
"Young man, I have some stored items here. I'll give them to you as a meeting gift." The gray-robed elder flicked his finger, sending several spatial rings floating before Ye Yunfei.
"Space Law Crystals!" Ye Yunfei gave a brief sensing and discovered the spatial rings contained a large quantity of Space Law Crystals.
"I also possess a Hidden Shadow Secret Art, one of the heritage secret arts of our Tianying Clan, specifically used for concealing one's form and retracting one's aura. Its effects are exceptional. If you are interested, you can cultivate it. In the past, our Tianying Clan's stealth secret arts were famed throughout the three thousand major and minor worlds." the gray-robed elder said, then flicked his finger, sending a jade slip containing the technique to Ye Yunfei.
"Hidden Shadow Secret Art!" Hearing the elder's words, Ye Yunfei felt a surge of pleasant surprise. Ye Yunfei had once heard of the great reputation of the Hidden Shadow Secret Art and had even spent time searching for it, but found nothing. By the time Ye Yunfei became the Heavenly Emperor, the Tianying Clan had already met with calamity; the current Tianying Wang had taken his remaining followers and retreated into seclusion within Tianxuan Continent. Ye Yunfei had once inquired with Tianying Wang, but according to him, the Hidden Shadow Secret Art had been lost! He never expected this gray-robed elder to possess it!
"Elder, my thanks! I owe you a favor." Ye Yunfei accepted the jade slip and expressed his gratitude.
"No need for such courtesy. As long as you remember this act of goodwill, that will suffice." the elder replied. It was clear he was forming a bond with Ye Yunfei. A young man that even the Guhuang Great Emperor deemed extraordinary was destined for a limitless future! This gray-robed elder had lived for vast eons and was old and wise; he could see that Ye Yunfei was a person of loyalty and principle—such a young man was worth befriending! Perhaps it would be precisely this action he was taking now that might bring immense benefits to the Tianying Clan in the future!
"Elder, regarding releasing you... we'll speak of that if an opportunity arises in the future. For now, stay here." After some thought, Ye Yunfei spoke to the gray-robed elder. The Guhuang Great Emperor had just stated this elder's power was too great; releasing him might risk him turning hostile! This was something Ye Yunfei naturally had to guard against.
Hun Lao remained immersed in his sorrowful mood and said nothing. Since Guhuang Great Emperor had instructed him to follow Ye Yunfei, he decided to leave the decision of whether to release the prisoner to Ye Yunfei.
"Very well, I understand your concerns." The gray-robed elder did not press the matter of his release again and nodded.
"Young man, when you cultivate the Hidden Shadow Secret Art, it is best if you first refine more Space Law Crystals, because the Hidden Shadow Secret Art utilizes spatial energy. The higher your spatial energy, the easier it will be to master the Hidden Shadow Secret Art." the gray-robed elder advised Ye Yunfei.
"Thank you for the reminder, elder." Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, you should also cultivate this Hidden Shadow Secret Art. If you can master it, you'll have one more technique to rely on during future escapes." Ye Yunfei found the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, copied a method for cultivating the Hidden Shadow Secret Art, and handed it to him.
"Alright. You, kid, are always thinking about using me for escaping. You have no good intentions." the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said with a curl of his lip.
"Your escaping skills are so outstanding. Apart from you, who else could I rely on?" Ye Yunfei laughed.
"That's also true." the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm replied smugly.
Afterwards, Ye Yunfei found a quiet spot within the Phantom Tower and began to absorb the Space Law Crystals gifted by the gray-robed elder.
Ten days later.
Ye Yunfei had refined a large batch of Space Law Crystals, and his spatial energy rose exponentially!
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei began cultivating the Hidden Shadow Secret Art.
Another half a month passed.
Ye Yunfei finally succeeded in cultivating the Hidden Shadow Secret Art.
Whoosh!
With a mere thought, Ye Yunfei's figure flickered and then began to turn transparent, growing increasingly illusory.
Finally, Ye Yunfei's figure vanished without a trace.
Not only was he invisible to the naked eye, but even Soul Power could not detect him.
That's because the area of space Ye Yunfei occupied had been masked by a special type of spatial law.
In truth, Ye Yunfei was still standing in the exact same spot; he had not moved half an inch!
"Excellent! The Tianying Clan truly lives up to their former reputation as a powerful race among the three thousand major and minor worlds. This Hidden Shadow Secret Art is very effective." Ye Yunfei was greatly satisfied.
"Moreover, the more potent the spatial energy, the better the effects of this secret art. Its power can continue to increase in the future. With this secret art, I can become invisible anytime, anywhere. Another powerful card to play." Ye Yunfei smiled.
"Master, it seems we have arrived at the Northern Frost Ancient Mining Area." Just then, Hu Miao suddenly sent a message to Ye Yunfei.
"Good." Ye Yunfei nodded.
Ye Yunfei then emerged from the Phantom Tower and returned to the Green Flying Boat.
The land below appeared extremely desolate—crimson soil, reddish-brown stones, sparse vegetation, scant vitality, not a trace of human presence, a complete and utter wasteland!
"Right, this should indeed be the Northern Frost Ancient Mining Area." Ye Yunfei nodded.
Next, Ye Yunfei urged the Green Flying Boat to travel deeper into the ancient mining area.