"Ancestral Patriarch is finally out of seclusion?"

The development had attracted the attention of many members of the Lin Family. They rushed to the Ancestral Shrine at the back of the residence and saw a long-haired young man with refined features and a sword strapped on his back standing outside of the shrine. He looked like he had time traveled from the ancient world to the present day.

"That's our Ancestral Patriarch!"

An elder of the family shivered a little and hurried to kneel down on his knees. "I am Lin Xinzhi, it is an honor to meet you, Great Grand Uncle."

Lin Shuming was well over a hundred and fifty years old, and his sons and grandsons were all but dead, and only the third and fourth generation descendants were still alive.

"You may rise," Lin Shuming said slowly.

Despite being one of the oldest Immortal State Warriors in the world, his voice lacked the condescension and severity that was typical in seniors. His appearance resembled a fragile scholar that could be blown away by a gust of wind, but his eyes held a luster that illuminated otherworldly scenes where reality and insanity met.

"Ancestral Patriarch, have you reached Earth Level Deity?" the lord of the Lin Family asked expectantly.

The other Lin Family members also looked at Lin Shuming as if he were their last hope. If Lin Shuming had entered the Earth Level Deity, the Lin Family would rise up again and dominate the country for another hundred years.

Lin Shuming nodded and then shook his head.

What does that mean?

Everyone was confused by his response.

"Where is Chen Beixuan?" Lin Shuming asked in a deep and suppressed voice. It was as if he was trying to cope with some hard reality.

"Ancestral Patriarch, Chen Beixuan entered the Valley of No Return with the Dragon Lord a year and a half ago. He has been missing since then. But he has created the North Qiong Sect, and it is still around and has recently gained two Immortal State Warriors. I have heard that even the son of the Green Gang's leader, Hua Yunfeng, had also joined them," the Lin Family Lord replied respectfully.

A light flickered in Lin Shuming's eyes and then he said firmly, "Let's go to North Qiong Sect."

Mount Bajin, Zhong Hai..

The former Hua Family's residence had changed its name to North Qiong Pavilion.

The entire building was given a fresh look based on the design and style of the real North Qiong Pavilion. Looking from afar, the building at the cloud-shrouded mountain looked like a cave abode of some hermit sage.

The North Qiong Sect had grown from an unknown sect to a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Not only did it have two Immortal State Warriors and ten grandmasters, but it also had incredible financial prowess.

The North Qiong Corp was a newly risen financial behemoth.

Its subsidiaries included Jin Xiu Group, Azure Talisman Pharmaceutical, Zheng's Financial Group, Huas Group, Lus Group, and Ans Group, just to name a few. Each one of these companies was worth billions of dollars. The combined financial prowess of these companies could rival that of the Samsung group.

"It has a dozen publicly traded firms under its umbrella. Incredible! It has to be the most influential cooperation in China."

When travelers passed Mount Bajin, they would often look up at the North Qiong Pavilion and exclaim fervently in their minds. The North Qiong Corp had just entered the world's top five hundred list and had become the most powerful private company in China.

The main product of the North Qiong Corp was the Vitality Serum

It had taken the world by storm and was considered a miracle cure for almost all ailments known to man.

Despite the small production capacity, the serum's outrageous retail price had made it extremely profitable. If the Chinese government didn't take a commission for each serum sold, the North Qiong Corp could quickly grow to be as powerful as Apple.

The North Qiong Pavilion was having a banquet today and was filled with guests from the country.

These guests were all elite top dogs from all major cities. They saw the opportunity to enter the North Qiong Pavilion as the highlight in their life.

"Boss Li, nice to meet you!"

"Same here. I heard that we would be able to meet with the goddesses of the North Qiong Corp. How exciting!"

A group of tycoons chatted with each other.

By then, the chairman of the company was still a mystery. He was never involved in any of the company's major decisions and had been missing in action since the inception of the firm.

"Who do you think is the chairman? It has been a year now, and we still haven't met the chairman yet. Boss Fang always handles everything on his behalf," a tycoon from East Mountain asked curiously.

"Hehe, I have heard a rumor saying that the chairman of the company is a young man named Chen Beixuan. He is quite a character, and his disciples are all proponents of the company since day one," another tycoon said mysteriously.

"Chen Beixuan? The name sounds familiar," the East Mountain tycoon said with furrowed brows.

Chen Fan used to be a household name, but since he had disappeared for a while, memories about him had either faded or had been replaced by the emergence of new Immortal State Warriors.

"Hey, look! The goddesses are coming!"

Someone shouted.

Everyone looked to the distance and saw a few drop-dead gorgeous women ambled toward the stage.

An Ya, the Chief Manager of the Jin Xiu Group.

Lu Yanwu, Manager of the Lus Group.

Zheng Anqi, Chief of Staff of the Zheng's Group.

Fang Qiong, CEO of the North Qiong Corp.

These four girls came from different departments of the company, but they all had one thing in common—breathtaking beauty. They used the Vitality Serum and the Essence Gathering Pill every day, and as a result, their skins were smooth, soft and radiated charm.

"Welcome, everyone. The main agenda for the meeting today is to conclude and summarize last year's business and plan for next year's success."

Fang Qiong spoke up. Her voice was confident and commanding without being strident.

Her words quickly caught everyone's attention as the guests straightened their back and listened attentively.

Yukishiro Sa and Hua Yunfeng were both proponents of the North Qiong Corp, but Fang Qiong managed the day to day operation of the firm all by himself. Neither Hua Yunfeng nor Yukishiro Sa knew anything about running a business.

Fang Qiong had taken upon herself to shoulder the daunting task of consolidating Chen Fan's powers and unite them under one system. Although she was only twenty-one years old, her leadership skills had started to shine through her beauty already.

Even as the tycoons of the North Qiong Corp discussed their business tactics, the overlords of the North Qiong Sect were also having a meeting upstairs.

Hua Yunfeng, Tong Shan, Cheng Danqin, Yu Wenjin, Yukishiro Sa, A'Xiu and many perfected cultivators from Hong Kong and the Dark Witch Chapter all gathered in the second floor of the North Qiong Pavilion. There were two Immortal State Warriors and at the least a dozen grandmasters.

"I wonder when I can see my master again," A'Xiu said worriedly.

Although the cute appearance had stayed with the girl over the years, inside of her, she had transformed into a grandmaster and earned a spot on the Heaven Roll.

She had defeated Chen Jiuyang and established herself as one of the most powerful females in China.

"Don't worry. Master is a god. An Earth Level Deity's Dharma Array wouldn't pose any threat to him. I wager he is just cultivating somewhere in seclusion," Yukishiro Sa said.

She was wearing a white outfit that complimented her cold and aloof demeanor. People in China had called the four of them—Zhou Jin Yi, A'Xiu, Yu Wenjin, and Yukishiro Sa—the four goddesses of the North Qiong Sect.

"Indeed. Master was only half step away from Earth Level Deity a year and a half ago. Not to mention the powerful divine powers at his disposal," Hua Yunfeng nodded and said.

Of all the people at the gathering, Hua Yunfeng knew Chen Fan's power the best since he had seen Chen Fan's almost unimaginable abilities.

The thought of Chen Fan's ungodly power still gave Hua Yunfeng the chills. By now, he was certain that Chen Fan was a reincarnation of a curmudgeon who had reached the sky-immortal state.

Suddenly, a clear and loud clanking could be heard from outside, and it interrupted the group's deliberation.

Clank!

Then a voice with a candid timbre drifted into the North Qiong Pavilion.

"I am Lin Shuming, here to visit the sect master of the North Qiong Sect."

Despite the great distance between the speaker and the listeners, the voice was clear in everyone's ears without being too loud. It was a sure sign of the speaker's incredible power.

"Lin Shuming? The Sword Immortal from the Lin Family?"

Everyone looked at each other in fear.

Hua Yunfeng led the disciples of the North Qiong Sect out of the pavilion to greet the visitor. They saw a young man in a traditional outfit standing by the entrance, looking up at the sign that said: North Qiong Pavilion.

"That's him!"

Hua Yunfeng pulled a taut face when he recognized the young man. He cupped his fist and said, "Welcome, Lord Shuming, I am the second disciple of the North Qiong Sect. May I ask what brings you here?"

Lin Shuming turned around and said lightly, "Brother Hua used to dominate China, he would never have thought that his son would be Chen Beixuan's lap dog. You are a disgrace."

Hua Yunfeng furrowed his brows and tried to hold back his anger.

"Lord Shuming, I respect you for being my senior. But please don't take my goodwill for granted."

"Is that so? Then why don't you indulge me with what you have learned from Chen Beixuan?"

Lin Shuming cracked a smile and pointed a thin finger at Hua Yunfeng.

"Puhh!"

Suddenly, a white Blade Qi shot out from Lin Shuming's fingertip.

The Blade Aura was a dozen meters long, and it flew into the air at first, turned around, and then plunged into Hua Yunfeng. So deadly was the Blade Aura that people standing a few dozen meters out of its path still felt its energy in the air that threatened to tear their skins open. The energy inside the Blade Aura was so condensed that it had gained some degree of solidity.

Bang!

Hua Yunfeng unleashed the Cloud Burning Palm to counter the Blade Qi. However, he was winded by the impact.

The turn of the event suddenly unnerved everyone.

Lin Shuming had overcome Hua Yunfeng with just one finger!