Looking at the cool, young boy dressed in black, Duan Ling Tian could easily guess his identity.
"Little Black."
The appearance of Han Xue Nai and the three little fellas was no doubt a surprise to Duan Ling Tian.
Because the three little fellas missed Ke'er and Li Fei a lot, before Duan Ling Tian could go into detail with Han Xue Nai, he had already brought them back to the mansion that the people of Ling Xuan Peak were staying at ever since they landed.
After they went back to their own courtyard.
"Young Master, they are…" When Ke'er saw Duan Ling Tian coming back, she was filled with joy, but when she saw other four people following behind him, she was stunned.
Upon hearing Ke'er's voice, Li Fei also knew that her fiancè was back. However, when she saw the four people following him, she was also taken aback.
To Ke'er and Li Fei, Han Xue Nai and the other three were, without a doubt, unfamiliar faces.
"Sister Ke'er!"
"Sister, Li Fei!"
Soon, Little White threw herself into Ke'er's arms while Little Gold did the same with Li Fei. The two little fellows were extremely emotional as though they were two lost kids who had finally returned home after wandering around for many years.
Without a doubt, their actions took the girls by surprise.
After Duan Ling Tian explained everything to them, his fiancèes finally realized what was happening. So, these two little girls were the little white python and the little golden mouse from his past.
"Little Bai, I never expected that it'd actually be you… You're Little Black, aren't you?" Of course, Ke'er was delighted now that Little White was back. The next instant, her attention shifted towards the young boy who was staring at her nearby.
"Sister Ke'er," Little Black greeted Ke'er emotionally.
When he and his younger sister, Little White, were just born, Duan Ling Tian and Ke'er were the first faces they saw.
Therefore, they held a special affection for both of them.
In their eyes, the duo was not only like their brother and sister. Instead, they were more like their parents. They were people they respected the most and also the most important people in their hearts.
"Little Gold, you've completely changed! I can barely recognize you now," Li Fei exclaimed.
Observing how the two girls were on such friendly terms with the little fellows, Duan Ling Tian motioned to Han Xue Nai and walked aside.
His glance immediate shifted towards Han Xue Nai before asking, "Xue Nai, if I didn't guess wrong… You must be from the Dao Martial Saint Land, aren't you?"
"Brother Ling Tian, you can tell?" Han Xue Nai was a little surprised.
"If I still can't get it by now, then I'd be the biggest idiot ever." Duan Ling Tian smiled wryly. "I originally thought that you were from the Han Clan, one of the two great ancient clans on the Cloud Continent at first."
"The Han Clan?" A glimpse flashed across Han Xue Nai's mischievous eyes as she replied, "Although I'm not from that tiny little Han Clan, there's actually some connection between my clan and theirs. The Han ancestor could be said to have originated from our clan."
"Oh, I see." Duan Ling Tian finally understood. At the same time, his heart was overwhelmed with shock as well.
It had never crossed his mind that the ancestor of the Han Clan actually originated from the Dao Martial Saint Land.
The Han Clan was one of the two great ancient clans of the Cloud Continent. The Rebirth Martial Emperor had had some dealings with them before. Thus, he understood them to an extent.
However, even the Rebirth Martial Emperor also had no idea that the Han ancestor actually came from the Dao Martial Saint Land.
The Rebirth Martial Emperor did not even know about the Dao Martial Saint Land at all.
Then, Duan Ling Tian also learned what they had done under Han Xue Nai's leadership in the Cloud Continent when she had brought the little fellows back.
"T-The Ling Tian Sect is the strongest sect in the Cloud Continent?" After discovering that the Ling Tian Sect had dominated the Cloud Continent under Han Xue Nai's leadership as the Acting Sect Leader, Duan Ling Tian was completely baffled.
However, as his train of thought suddenly halted and he recalled his strength, he became at ease again.
Given his strength now, it would not be difficult for him to lead the Ling Tian Sect to become the strongest sect in the Cloud Continent.
"At the level of my strength now, among all of the Martial Emperors active on the surface of the Cloud Continent, only Martial Emperor Qing Xuan alone can defeat me. As for Martial Emperor You Han, she'll only manage to come to a draw with me at most," Duan Ling Tian confidently concluded.
Of course, this only applied to all Martial Emperors who were active on the surface of the continent.
The Cloud Continent was vast and there must be many Martial Emperors who concealed themselves from the world. It would not be surprising if some of them were even more powerful than Martial Emperor Qing Xuan.
On top of that, Duan Ling Tian learned even more from Han Xue Nai, including how Han Jing, the disciple of the Han Clan who annihilated the Northern Mountain Lu's Clan in the Southern Outer Land of the Cloud Continent, had come to Ling Tian Sect, only to be killed by her.
With a glimmer flashing across his eyes, Duan Ling Tian sighed emotionally, "I can't believe that so many things have happened all this time that I was gone. Xue Nai, it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't been there, I'm afraid Ling Tian Sect might've been already wiped out by now."
If Ling Tian Sect no longer existed, he would not care about it at all.
What he cared about more were the people who insisted on staying and had chosen to perish together with Ling Tian Sect under the threats of Han Jing, the disciple of the Han Clan.
"Brother Ling Tian, why are you so polite to me?" Han Xue Nai shook her head as she grinned. Then, her mischievous eyes sparkled as she asked, "Brother Ling Tian, just now, you told me that the set of Saint Grade Martial Tactic was actually passed on to you by your father? Isn't your father from the Southern Outer Land of the Cloud Continent? How would he know about the Saint Grade Martial Tactic?"
The Saint Grade Martial Tactic was from the Dao Martial Saint Land. Even if the Cloud Continent possessed it, it lay only in the hands of the two great ancient clans.
Of course, this was only on the surface of the Cloud Continent.
Other than the two great ancient clans of the Cloud Continent, she knew someone else who cultivated the Saint Grade Martial Tactic and this person was someone she could be said to have a relationship with.
"My father is indeed from the Southern Outer Land of the Cloud Continent. However, by the time I was sensible enough to know what was going on, he was already gone. It was only after more than twenty years later that he finally appeared again," Duan Ling Tian shared the situation of Duan Ru Feng returning and the story of how he brought his mother away without missing any detail.
He also mentioned what Duan Ru Feng had left behind for him as well.
"Three Dao Talismans that were left behind by a Saint Rudiment Stage Dao Cultivator?" Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian's words, Han Xue Nai could not help but be consumed with puzzlement. "Brother Ling Tian, it looks like your dad must be quite a powerful person in the Dao Martial Saint Land! The Dao Talisman made by a Saint Rudiment Stage Dao Cultivator isn't something an ordinary person can get his hands on. At the very least, an ordinary Martial, Dao, or Devil Cultivator on the Mortal Shedding Stage, or even someone who has already reached the Perfection Stage of the Mortal Shedding Stage would also find it difficult to obtain the Dao Talismans drawn by a Saint Rudiment Stage Dao Cultivator… The Dao Talisman isn't something that can be easily drawn by even a Saint Rudiment Stage Dao Cultivator," Han Xue Nai continued.
"In that case, are you saying that my father must be someone with a cultivation base above the Saint Rudiment Stage?" Duan Ling Tian asked.
"Yes, he must be at least on the Saint Rudiment Stage," Han Xue Nai confirmed.
After hearing her agree, an inexplicable shock gripped Duan Ling Tian's heart.
It had never crossed his mind that that cheapskate father of his would actually be somebody who was at least at the Saint Rudiment Stage.
According to Wang Ba, the Saint Stage came after the Saint Rudiment Stage. Once one made a breakthrough to the Saint Stage, one would then be deemed a Saint Stage powerhouse.
The Saint Stage powerhouse was so mighty that he could even cast a mountain and boil the sea to produce salt.
While he was gripped in shock by the strength of his cheapskate father, Duan Ling Tian was also curious about the force behind Han Xue Nai. "Han Xue Nai, what kind of force does your clan wield in the Dao Martial Saint Land? Is it very powerful?"
"So-so, I guess. When you go to the Dao Martial Saint Land in the future, I'll invite you to the house for a visit. Then, you can find out for yourself," Han Xue Nai replied. However, when she reached the end of her sentence, she stopped at the climax and kept Duan Ling Tian guessing.
"Alright. It's all thanks to Qing Nu that the three little fellows have achieved so much today. By then, I can also thank her personally as well." Duan Ling Tian could still remember the old woman who followed Han Xue Nai.
It was precisely because she allowed the three little fellows to follow her back then that they finally achieved such an accomplishment today. He felt an immense sense of gratitude for her rise from deep within his heart.
"Brother Ling Tian, looking at your strength now, I'm sure you must have met quite some fortuitous encounter all these years… I think that even if they hadn't left with Qing Nu then, they wouldn't be doing too badly today too." Han Xue Nai chuckled.
"What cultivation base are they at now?" Duan Ling Tian was curious.
Long ago, when he had seen the trio, he could already sense the Demon Emperor aura from them. As a Martial Emperor Stage powerhouse himself, he did not use his Spiritual Energy to probe them at all.
However, he was still curious about their strength.
"Little White and Little Gold are now at the Seventh Level Demon Emperor Stage… As for Little Black, he's broken through to the Eighth Level Demon Emperor Stage two weeks ago," Han Xue Nai replied.
"Seventh Level Demon Emperor Stage? And Eighth Level Demon Emperor Stage?" Her words took Duan Ling Tian by bewilderment.
When he finally returned to his senses again, he immediately looked at the three little fellows who were mingling quite well wit Ke'er and Li Fei with a heart filled with awe. "T-They're actually that strong now?"
In the next instance, Han Xue Nai made a remark that made Duan Ling Tian completely stunned.
"Given Little White and Little Gold's progress, they'll most likely be able to make a breakthrough to the Eighth Level Demon Emperor Stage in three months' time," Han Xue Nai added.
Duan Ling Tian finally was able to recover from his shock only after a long while. Looking at Han Xue Nai, he asked, "Xue Nai, y-your strength now is in no way inferior to theirs, is it?"
Han Xue Nai smiled mysteriously and did not reply.
Nevertheless, he already had an answer in his heart. He could not help but gasp in his heart, "What freaks these four are!"
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian felt that he could no longer be considered "monstrous" or "genius".
He was nothing at all compared to these four little fellows.
"Brother Ling Tian, did you know that you've been used!" As though she suddenly remembered something, Han Xue Nai suddenly said, "You followed Martial Emperor Ling Xuan from Ling Xuan Peak to the Hidden Fog Island to join the Hidden Fog Martial Competition, didn't you? It's actually he who wants those Saint Stones for himself! I've heard about the Saint Stones from the few old men from the Han Clan. The Martial Emperors of the Cloud Continent are actually getting their hands on these by hiding the truth from all of you. They'll never give the Saint Stones to you and those who actually risked their lives for them."
By the time Han Xue Nai reached the end of her sentence, she was completely infuriated. "The Hidden Fog Martial Competition must've taken place three days ago. Brother Ling Tian, judging from your strength now, you must've obtained the first place, didn't you?"