The Scarlet Lotus Immortal Domain.
The virtually endless starry sky had too many stars and floating landmass to count, with each having its own sects of cultivators, whereas some sects of Immortals could only be found in large landmasses.
The Hessen Castle was located in one of the large stars in the Immortal World. Boasting a vast area, it took decades for one to fly from one border to the other, even for a Perfected Golden Immortal.
Moongazing Monarch City was the largest city located between the four largest Immortal Sects and the place where Hessen Castle was located. However, the fearsomely powerful Master of Hessen Castle, a Perfected Golden Immortal, had been living in the Moongazing Monarch City all the time. Thus, the gigantic city was coined after the title of this Perfected Golden Immortal.
The crowded streets were nearly 100 meters wide and seemingly had no end in length. Both sides of the streets were full of stores, too many to count, many of which were of various skyscraper-like architecture styles. Even Immortals would inevitably feel how small they were when they were in this ageless and vicissitude-filled ancient city.
The Stargazing Pavilion.
A restaurant touted as the best restaurant in the whole city and with the glorious and longest history to boot. Its six towers that surrounded the one in the middle were like planets revolving around its star, reflecting rainbow-colored lights due to its colored ceramic glaze, giving it a majestic and magnificent feel.
Tang Xiu and Gu Yan'er stood outside the tens of meters high Stargazing Pavilion's gate. Watching the diners coming in and going out gave them a feeling as though they were going back in time. Millenniums had passed by in a flash just like a snap of fingers. Feeling like an eternity, yet feeling like it just happened yesterday. The only unfortunate thing was that the four Celestial Immortal guards standing on both sides of the entrance were no longer the familiar faces from before.
\"Let's head in!\"
Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and waltzed inside while holding Gu Yan'er's hand. After walking along a kilometer-long corridor and coming to its end, he tilted up his head to look at the arc-shaped pathway separating both sides and then walked straight ahead. The Stargazing Pavilion had strict rules: only those who were at least Golden Immortals could go straight ahead to dine at the center tower. The diners who had yet to reach the Golden Immortal Stage or weren't being accompanied by one would be stopped outside even before they reached the tower in the center.
Once again, it was all about social class and status—a situation where one encountered often in the Immortal World. Yet, it was one's strength that secured the most powerful ID card, earning respect and reverence everywhere.
\"Please stay back, Honorable Guest.\"
Just as Tang Xiu and Gu Yan'er came outside the entrance to the middle tower, a Golden Immortal with 18 late-stage Celestial Immortals behind him cast a cold stare and stopped them.
Tang Xiu frowned and said, \"Correct me if I'm wrong. Aren't Golden Immortals entitled to enjoy dining and staying in this tower? Does this mean the Stargazing Pavilion has upped the limit entry that even a Golden Immortal now has no qualification to dine here?\"
The elderly Golden Immortal apologized. \"The custom of our Stargazing Pavilion hasn't changed for tens of millennials, but we do have an exception every millennium.\"
\"And, what is this exception, exactly?\" asked Tang Xiu.
\"Ah, these two Fellow Immortals should be foreigners, yes?\" replied the elderly Golden Immortal. \"It's because everyone in Hessen Castle knows that Madame Empyrean Pole always comes and stays here for a year every millennium, and this time is exactly when our Stargazing Pavilion closed to the public as we will only entertain Madame Empyrean Pole.\"
Tang Xiu and Gu Yan'er exchanged helpless glances. They had been here before, so they naturally knew that Madame Empyrean Pole was the most powerful Perfected Golden Immortal and the true Master of the entire Hessen Castle. Back in the past, Tang Xiu was the Immortal World's Supreme whose strength had reached the apex. Thus, he could ignore Madame Empyrean Pole. However, he did have to look up to her when he was still at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.
In the entire Immortal World, Madame Empyrean Pole was not a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, yet many Supremes were wary of her. Even all those so-called great Perfected Golden Immortals would pale at the mention of her name.
\"We'll take our leave, then!\"
Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and turned around to leave while holding Gu Yan'er's hand.
However, the moment he just turned around, he realized that a beautiful woman in white was floating in the back. Wearing a phoenix corona cap to cover her coiling hair, her eyes were bright like stars. Both Gu Yan'er and Tang Xiu weren't able to sense her presence even though she was obviously standing in front of them. It felt like what appeared before their eyes were just a ghost.
Truly an expert at least at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.
Tang Xiu tensed up inwardly. He then paced a step forward instantly while covering Gu Yan'er. As he cupped his fists, he respectfully said, \"Great Tang meets Senior. We'll immediately take our leave if we're blocking Senior's path.\"
The gorgeous woman's eyes lingered on Tang Xiu's hand that held Gu Yan'er's. Only after Tang Xiu spoke did she slowly raise her head with a complicated look in her eyes. Then, she spoke, \"You don't need to be afraid of me. I just sensed his aura, so I came out to see you.\"
Tang Xiu was stunned, and vigilance instantly filled his eyes. He must keep his identity in absolute secrecy, yet he also knew a lot of people were familiar with him, too many, even. Before he returned to the Supremacy Stage, he was absolutely unwilling to reveal his identity.
\"May I ask who this Senior is?\"
\"I sense Celestial Pole's aura from you,\" the gorgeous woman replied.
That oldster Celestial Pole?
Tang Xiu blinked. All of a sudden, he suddenly realized that Celestial Pole oldster and Madame Empyrean Pole did have similar titles. Did they have some kind of special relationship or something? Could this Empyrean Pole… be Celestial Pole's… Mistress?
The vigilance in Tang Xiu's heart slowly subsided and his expression turned serene. \"I do have some relationship with Celestial Pole old man, Senior. When you say that you sense his aura from me, some of the things I've taken from his Celestial Pole Realm must have his aura and emitted it.\"
Madame Empyrean Pole's expression changed and she hurriedly asked, \"You've been to the Celestial Pole Realm? Where's he? Tell me, where is he?\"
While blurting out, her aura blasted out. Although it was only an aura released by her emotional fluctuations, it still made Tang Xiu ghastly pale and caused blood to come from his throat.
\"Master.\"
A cold light gleamed in Gu Yan'er's eyes as she instantly pulled Tang Xiu behind her. She had not the slightest fear towards Madame Empyrean Pole. Although she was perfectly aware the present her was not her match, she used to be a Perfected Golden Immortal herself, after all. Back then, she was just half a step away to the Supremacy Stage. Not even slightly inferior to Madame Empyrean Pole.
Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and pulled her behind him again, saying, \"I'm alright.\"
Madame Empyrean Pole stepped back and contained her own aura immediately. A restorative pill suddenly appeared in her palm as she handed it to Tang Xiu and said, \"Are you related as Master and disciple?\"
Tang Xiu was just about to nod when Gu Yan'er suddenly blurted, \"We may be Master and disciple, but we're also lovers.\"
Madame Empyrean Pole stared at the pair and a bit of bitterness suddenly appeared on her face. She tilted up her head to the sky and muttered to herself, \"Who says a Master and disciple cannot be lovers? Celestial Pole… Second Brat… you're really far inferior…\"
Immediately after, she lowered her head and shifted to the pair again. \"Can you tell me where Celestial Pole is? I've waited for thousands for him since he promised that he'd come back to dine at the Scarlet Lotus Floe Porridge with me in this tower.\"
A complicated look flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes. He shook his head and replied, \"He has… died.\"
Madame Empyrean Pole's figure trembled and her eyes turned sharp as she fiercely retorted. \"Nonsense! You're lying! Celestial Pole is my direct disciple, I surely know what he's capable of. He cannot... must have not fallen!\"
Tang Xiu took out an astrolabe and then marked the coordinates of Celestial Pole Realm on it before handing it to Madame Empyrean Pole. Afterward, he said, \"This is the coordinate of the Celestial Pole Realm. You had better go see it for yourself.\"
Madame Empyrean Pole took a glance at the astrolabe. She faintly realized that Tang Xiu was not lying since that Celestial Pole oldster did tell the place he was about to go back then.
\"You guys…\"
A complicated look gleamed in her eyes yet again. Then, she took out an interspatial ring and threw it to Tang Xiu, saying, \"Regardless of if what you're telling is true or not, I want to thank you since you do have given me his information. Take all the Crystal Essences inside as a reward.\"
With that said, her figure flickered and vanished.
Tang Xiu immediately sent his spiritual sense into the ring and was shocked. There were 1 million Crystal Essences in the ring. It must be noted that 1 Immortal Crystal equals to 100 Immortal Stones, whereas 1 Crystal Essence equals to 100 Immortal Crystals. Having 1 million Crystal Essences meant that he had 100 million Immortal Crystals!
This is a shit-ton wealth. I'm hella rich.
Tang Xiu shifted to the position where Madame Empyrean Pole just stood, and suddenly, he was glad he came here, else getting so many Crystal Essences by himself would have been a very difficult ordeal to carry out.
Quickly, Tang Xiu turned to the elderly Golden Immortal and calmly asked, \"Well, Madame Empyrean Pole just left, so can we dine now?\"
The elderly Golden Immortal shot a complicated look at Tang Xiu and nodded without a word. Then, he said, \"I naturally have no reason to reject the honorable guests since Madame Empyrean Pole has left. Fellow Immortal, I'd also like to exempt you from all expenses in my Stargazing Pavilion.\"
Tang Xiu and Gu Yan'er looked at each other and slightly smiled immediately. It was well-known that Stargazing Pavilion's service was very expensive. Even if the two of them only dined here, they would have to dig out 1,000 Immortal Stones. This elderly Golden Immortal gave them such service gratis truly was a generous offer.
Suddenly, Tang Xiu slightly smiled. \"May I ask who you are, Sir?\"
\"I'm the supervisor of the Stargazing Pavilion and have been taking care of it for my Master. Both of you just helped my Master, so you are benefactors of our Stargazing Pavilion,\" said the elderly Golden Immortal. \"You may eat anything you'd like, but you exempted from paying.\"
\"Can I hold you to your words?\" asked Tang Xiu smilingly.
\"No joking. Absolutely,\" replied the elderly Golden Immortal.
\"Well, then allow me to accept your generosity.\" Tang Xiu thoughtfully smiled and said, \"I happen to have a large bunch of people, so I'm afraid you'll have to spend quite some money.\"