If these words had come from anyone else, An Ran would never have believed them. But coming from Wan Huaiyu's mouth, she couldn't help but be suspicious.
Should she believe it or not?
And what should she do?
An Ran had been pondering this question for several days now and still didn't know what to do.
Just as she was tangled in her thoughts, a wave of exclamations erupted from the scene.
An Ran looked over and saw a group of seven or eight people flying through the air at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, their figures appeared before the estate stele.
When the waiting crowd from the Immortal Office saw these seven or eight figures, they immediately bowed in respect. The newcomers were the absolute top brass of the Immortal Office, including three Estate Lords and five Cabinet Elders.
These eight individuals held authority over the Northwest Immortal Estate. They were not only symbols of power but also of status and prestige.
The five Cabinet Elders were all Five-Star Immortal Officials, possessing five Immortal Protections. The three Estate Lords—Murong Han, An Qiongshan, and Li Feiyuan—were all Six-Star Immortal Officials with six Immortal Protections. Their status and position were self-evident.
Was that all?
No.
Beyond that, these eight also held another title: Dharma Aspect Great Venerables.
That's right. All eight were experts who had condensed and manifested their Dharma Aspects.
As everyone knew, the path of the Daozun consisted of three great realms: Nascent Soul, Dao Heart, and Dharma Aspect.
The Nascent Soul had to undergo eighty-one transformations—materializing, spiritualizing, and deifying—before one could condense a Dao Heart. Then, the Dao Heart itself had to undergo another eighty-one transformations—establishing the heart, stabilizing the heart, and unifying the heart—before one could condense and manifest a Dharma Aspect.
Every cultivator understood that the path of the Daozun was a process of forging a second life. It was the most critical and important turning point in the entire cultivation journey.
If the Nascent Soul was likened to a soul, then the Dao Heart was the heart, and the Dharma Aspect was like a physical body.
All three were indispensable.
Only by nurturing a Nascent Soul, condensing a Dao Heart, and manifesting a Dharma Aspect could one be considered a true Daozun.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Nascent Soul, Dao Heart, and Dharma Aspect were only separated by one or two realms. The gap between them was as vast as a chasm.
Cultivating only a Nascent Soul was like having an infant with consciousness but not yet born.
Cultivating a Dao Heart was like that infant gaining a heart. Vital signs began to develop, but it was still just development. It remained an infant incapable of doing anything.
But once one cultivated a Dharma Aspect, it was like the infant being born. Given time, it could leap and bound, move mountains and drain seas, travel a thousand miles with a single thought, and wield a hundred divine abilities without issue. Even if the physical body was destroyed, as long as the Nascent Soul and Dharma Aspect remained, there was a chance for rebirth.
This was why only by cultivating a Dharma Aspect could one be considered a true Daozun.
It was no exaggeration to say that upon cultivating a Dharma Aspect, one's own strength would increase tenfold, even a hundredfold. So-called Nascent Soul old monsters and Dao Heart experts were no match at all. If a Dharma Aspect Great Venerable wished, they could effortlessly obliterate those Nascent Soul old monsters and Dao Heart experts.
Do not doubt it. This was the suppression of realms.
The appearance of the three Estate Lords and five Cabinet Elders stirred a wave of excitement in the crowd. Amidst the excitement, they all began recounting their previous experiences at Xiao Zhe Manor. Although the three Estate Lords and others had already received news of the incident on their way here, hearing it again now still made it impossible to suppress the fury in their hearts. This was especially true for Grand Estate Lord Murong Han, because Murong Tian—the leader of the Twenty-Four Pride Immortals who had died tragically at Xiao Zhe Manor—was his descendant. Moreover, he was Murong Han's most beloved descendant, seen as his successor.
Over the years, who knew how much effort, resources, and energy had been spent nurturing Murong Tian. With Murong Tian's death, all of it had gone to waste. How could Murong Han bear this?
At this moment, his aged face was clouded with gloom. His fists were clenched tightly, his eyes filled with killing intent. If he could, he wished he could rush over right now and tear that Gu Qingfeng to pieces.
But he could not.
At least, now was not the time.
A moment later, he took a deep breath, calming his furious emotions, and said in a heavy voice, "This estate already knows of this matter. After today's ceremony to respectfully welcome the Immortal Official Envoys from the Immortal Dynasty, this estate will definitely grind that surnamed Gu fellow to dust and ashes to avenge Tian'er and also to avenge the Twenty-Four Pride Immortals of our Immortal Office who died tragically."
Outside, people from Hunyuan Gate and the Huwei Wang Family also clamored, requesting the three Estate Lords of the Immortal Office to uphold justice for them.
"Everyone, rest assured. Our Immortal Office will definitely give you all a satisfactory resolution to this matter. Anyone who dares to kill Immortal Officials, show disrespect to our Immortal Dynasty, and trample upon Immortal Majesty—no matter who they are—this estate will make them pay a heavy price."
"Everyone, take note. The various Immortal Official Envoys from the Immortal Dynasty are about to grace us with their presence. I hope you all do not disrupt the order."
Murong Han swept his gaze around and asked, "What about those reincarnated individuals residing in our Immortal Office? Why have they not come out to welcome the various Immortal Official Envoys?"
"Estate Lord, they are, after all, reincarnated great powers. If they were to come out to welcome them, I'm afraid it might be somewhat inappropriate?"
"What is inappropriate about it?" Murong Han coldly barked. "So what if they are reincarnated great powers? They reside and cultivate in our Immortal Office and have even accepted appointments as guest officials from the Immortal Dynasty. Since they are guest officials, they must come out to respectfully welcome the various Immortal Official Envoys from the Immortal Dynasty."
"This..." An old man stepped forward. He was the Grand Elder of the Immortal Office. He responded, "Estate Lord Murong, this old one tried to persuade them many times before, but they... none of them listened to this old one's advice."
"These reincarnated individuals are nothing more than people who luckily achieved the Dao and became Immortals in their past lives. After reincarnation, they are merely mortal flesh and blood. It's one thing for them to put on airs as great powers at ordinary times, but now that the various Immortal Official Envoys from the Immortal Dynasty are descending, they actually dare not come out to respectfully welcome them? What absurdity!"
Murong Han was quite enraged and was about to personally go to the Immortal Office to order that bunch of reincarnated great powers to come out. But just then, the cry of cranes sounded from the sky. Looking up, they saw over a hundred enormous white cranes flying toward them. These white cranes were extremely large, each one a hundred meters in size, majestic and imposing. Their feathers were as white as jade, shimmering with a holy radiance.
Those with broad knowledge knew these were no ordinary spirit cranes. They were Cloudsoar Immortal Cranes.
However.
In this world, only Immortal Officials of the Immortal Dynasty had the privilege of riding Cloudsoar Immortal Cranes.
Down below, Murong Han and the other two Estate Lords exchanged glances. Their expressions all changed slightly. None dared to be negligent. They knelt on the ground, cupped their hands, and proclaimed, "The Northwest Immortal Office respectfully welcomes the great arrival of the various Immortal Official Envoys."
At the same time, the cultivators from various major sects of the Great Northwest gathered outside the Immortal Domain, witnessing this scene, also knelt on the ground one after another. In unison, they respectfully welcomed the Immortal Official Envoys in the sky above. The scene could only be described as grand.
The immortal cranes soared and danced in the sky. A group of over a hundred people leaped down from the cranes' backs. These individuals all wore white robes, their bodies shimmering with a holy white light. The white light spun around them like stars. Some had five stars circling around them, some had six, others had seven, and even eight...
Everyone knew these holy stars were Immortal Protections. One star represented one Immortal Protection. Five stars represented five, meaning a Five-Star Immortal Official. In other words, the lowest rank among these envoys was that of a Five-Star Immortal Official. However, there were more Six-Star, Seven-Star, and even Eight-Star Immortal Officials.