1339 Nephew and Paternal Aunt Recognizing Each Other

Apotheosis Bella shouted and her figure instantly bolted to the remaining two Perfected Golden Immortals. Her Innate Natal immortal sword continuously unleashed sword moves and quickly beheaded the two of them.

"Aaaargh…"

A shrieking scream came from Dao Lord Green Firmament. His facial features began to contort and blood spilled down from the corner of his mouth.

"Heh, I killed your Senior Brothers and slew your Master." Tang Xiu sneered. "That's a deep blood feud between you and me. Yet, I have your life in my hands, so you now look like a loyal dog in front of me. But I'm sure this deep blood feud will be your motivation to become stronger once I release you from my control. That's why you have no choice but to die so as to eradicate the roots of future troubles."

"You treacherous bastard! I…" Dao Lord Green Firmament miserably wailed.

"Explode!"

Tang Xiu didn't give him any more chance to speak and directly exploded his Immortal Soul.

Afterward, he shifted to the rest and ordered in a deep voice, "Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, you stay here. The rest of you, enter the Heavenly Abode artifact!"

"Understood!"

It was everyone's first time seeing Tang Xiu's ruthlessness, so their attitude became even more respectful. They then entered the Heavenly Abode artifact one after another.

"Xiu…"

Apotheon Immortal Bella just opened her mouth and then realized the mistake. She hastily shifted the address and topic. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, our cooperation has ended and those four people of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect are yours to take care of."

Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response and said, "I'd like to thank you for your help this time, Apotheosis Bella. I'll be waiting for their injuries to get better first, so I can't make you stay here. But I'll be sure to visit the Immortal Lyceum when I have time in the future to express my gratitude."

Apotheosis Bella was feeling reluctant to leave, but she knew that Tang Xiu's identity couldn't be exposed. So, she nodded and said, "Then I'll be waiting for you at the Immortal Lyceum. Fare thee well, we shall meet again later."

Having said that, she led the four Perfected Golden Immortals and left at a breakneck speed.

Tang Xiu took back his vision and walked straight to the huge boulder nearby and directly sat cross-legged, waiting for Apotheon Myriad Notes' group of four to finish recuperating.

Time fleeted by quickly and six hours passed in the blink of an eye. The moment Apotheon Myriad Notes floated up, the figures of the other three also moved and instantly stood side by side next to him. They then looked at Tang Xiu sitting cross-legged on the huge boulder nearby. The four of them understood that even though there was a Supreme and several Perfected Golden Immortals here, the true leader among those people was this mysterious young man who seemed very weak yet was able to slay a Perfected Golden Immortal.

"Sablefiend Scorpio, you too enter the Heavenly Abode Artifact now. Star Tears will stay to protect me," Tang Xiu opened his eyes and calmly said.

Sablefiend Scorpio slightly nodded in response. Her figure then turned into a streak of light and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact.

Star Tears?!

Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu turned to Star Tears with gleaming eyes.

Star Tears' expression slightly changed. After she restored her original face, she wryly smiled at the four people. "You've been suffering in these hundreds of years."

"Martial Aunt?"

Apotheon Myriad Notes' group of four looked incredulous before ecstatic expressions appeared on their faces. Even Enchantress Yu burst into tears and plopped down in front of Star Tears.

Star Tears lifted up the four people and sighed. "The four of you are really great. You all deserve to be the juniors of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and worthy to be my nephew's great disciples."

While suppressing his tumultuous emotions, Apotheon Myriad Notes respectfully replied, "Thank you for coming to save us, Martial Aunt. Too many of our people have come here over the past hundred years and died because of us. We would have long chosen to commit suicide had it not been for the fact that we were barred to do so."

"You don't need to thank me since the person who really saved you is him, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor." Star Tears sighed. "I had been in deep trouble myself, in fact. If it wasn't for Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who purchased me from the Convict Arena, I would have very likely lost my life there soon."

"Pardon?!"

The four people were shocked. They shifted to Tang Xiu at the same time and cupped their fists and bowed. "Thank you for saving all of us, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."

Tang Xiu serenely looked at them while countless thoughts churned inside his mind. He wanted to tell them his true identity but was afraid that after telling them, if one of them was captured in the future, they might reveal his identity. Unless they could advance to the Supremacy Stage, the other way to work around it was to cast a Soul Sealing Spell on them.

After a while, he sighed secretly and said, "You guys just need to serve me for 5,000 years to thank me! You don't need to worry about the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect for the time being."

The four people's expressions changed. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes paced forward and cupped his fists. "We do have the obligation to stay by your side and serve you for 5,000 years since we owe you our lives, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, my sect is in a precarious situation now, or rather facing imminent dangers, to be honest. I hope Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us since we must return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. We must protect the sect and fight against the enemy."

"You can also fight the same enemies if you stay with me," Tang Xiu said lightly. "When I killed Zither Demon Jiuyao's Martial Uncle, Myriad Thunder Supreme, along with 6 hostile Perfected Golden Immortals, it's safe to say that I've been helping the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, no?"

"This…"

The four people exchanged glances. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes said, "You're right. What you've done indeed helped the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Yet, we can't help but feel anxious and uneasy if we don't return to our sect. We really hope that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us on this matter."

Suddenly, Star Tears looked at Tang Xiu and interjected in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, you promised me before that you'll give me an explanation after we saved these four about my wish to know who you really are."

"Is it really that necessary for you to know who I am?" Tang Xiu wryly smiled in response.

"Yes," Star Tears categorically replied.

"Why do you keep insisting on this issue, though?" asked Tang Xiu helplessly.

"My life was saved by you and you asked me to be your retainer for 5,000 years," said Star Tears. "I don't have a problem with that, but you must give an explanation if you wish to make them pledge their loyalty to you."

Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "Let's go back to the Misty Spring Ocean First. I'll tell you my true identity after we get there. However, there's one condition I want you to promise me."

Apotheon Myriad Notes' expression shifted and he immediately asked, "What condition?"

"You've recovered your ability to move and your injuries have mostly been healed," Tang Xiu said. "However, you must not have any contact with any of your old acquaintances before I tell you my true identity. You must also stay in the Heavenly Abode artifact."

"About this…" Apotheon Myriad Notes hesitated.

Star Tears took a deep breath and interjected with a deep voice, "I promise you on their behalf."

Tang Xiu nodded. "Then you must enter the Heavenly Abode artifact now! We just had a battle, and the death of Myriad Thunder Supreme, in particular, should have reached Zither Demon Jiuyao by now. It's likely that he'll catch up soon, so we need to leave fast."

"Then we can no longer use the spatial teleportation array if we want to completely erase our traces," said Star Tears. "At the very least, we can't use the ones in three Immortal Domains nearby."

"I know that," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

As Star Tears' group of five entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Sablefiend Scorpio out and told her to fly with him in tow.

A year later, Tang Xiu finally returned to the Misty Spring Ocean. A smile appeared on his handsome face when he saw Gu Yan'er sitting cross-legged on Repose Cliff.

"Yan'er." Her soft call made Gu Yan'er wake up from cultivation.

The instant after, an excited expression painted Gu Yan'er's stunning face as she rushed to Tang Xiu's front like a bolt of lightning. She plunged herself into his embrace and said with a bit of grievance, "You're finally back, Master! You've been outside for more than a year this time. I've been missing you and worrying about you all the time. There's no way I want to be separated from you again later!"

Tang Xiu gently patted her back and smilingly said, "Don't worry, Yan'er! There are only a few people in the entire Immortal World who can kill me now unless I run into some misfortunes."

Gu Yan'er nodded vigorously and, after releasing Tang Xiu, she hurriedly asked, "Did you save the four… four of them?"

"Yeah, I've rescued them," said Tang Xiu with a light smile.

"That's great!" Gu Yan'er was excited. "Can I see them now, Master?"

Tang Xiu shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio and lightly said, "You enter the Heavenly Abode first. I'll summon you out later, so you can live and cultivate outside."

"By your words, Master!"

After Sablefiend Scorpion entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Star Tears, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu from the Heavenly Abode. He led the crowd into the cave abode inside Repose Cliff and then shifted his vision to the painting scroll hanging on the wall.

Star Tears' expression shifted and she said, "We've returned. Now we're all waiting for your explanation."

As Tang Xiu turned around, two lines of tears trailed down his cheeks. He recalled Star Tears' miserable appearance the first time he met her at the Convict Arena. He remembered the tragic scene of his four disciples being chained on the cliff of Heavenly Mountain. Under the gaze of everyone's eyes, he knelt down in front of Star Tears as he took out her Soul Plate and slowly handed it over to her.

"You…"

A disbelieving look painted Star Tears' face for she never dreamed that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, who controlled her life, would actually kneel to her. It never crossed her mind that this mysterious Great Tang Heavenly Emperor would give her her Soul Plate.

"Why?" Star Tears didn't receive the Soul Plate but stared at Tang Xiu and inquisitively asked.

Tang Xiu's facial features shifted and slowly adjusted as he changed his appearance into his previous face in the past and muttered, "Auntie Star Tears, Xiu'er has been unfilial and has caused you to suffer so much. I've sinned too much, yet I don't dare to easily reveal myself and recognize you in order to conceal my identity."

BAM…

Gu Yan'er and Apotheon Mu, who stood behind Tang Xiu, also plopped down and knelt towards Star Tears.

Star Tears herself was as though getting struck by lightning bolts as her whole body trembled. She staggered back a few steps, dumbly looking at the familiar face. She didn't even realize that her nails hand deeply pinched into her palms and blood was dripping down through her fingers.