For those people's pretentiousness and deceit, Wu Zhukong no longer had high expectations now, after all, Yun Xiao was no longer the Yun Xiao of the past, and there were powerful forces backing him up.

Even without considering the Meridian Refining Master Association and Xuanyin Hall, with Yun Xiao's current strength, unless the leaders of those forces personally took action, there were hardly any people on the Tenglong Continent who could stand against him.

As a joke, even the Vice President of Douling Commerce, Lu Tianrun, at the late stage of the Floating Life Realm, was killed by Yun Xiao, who was at the end of his rope, so even someone like Duan Zixiao, who hadn't seen the scene in person, could guess what happened.

A character like Lu Tianrun was not much inferior to the leaders of some first-class forces, after all, the Xiao Family Patriarch, Xiao Zhenting, who died at the hands of Hu Ying'er, was only at the late-stage Floating Life Realm, nearing its peak.

It was precisely because of these concerns that the leaders of all major forces, who originally had grudges against Yun Xiao, were ambiguous in their attitudes, without absolute confidence, they wouldn't easily make a move against Yun Xiao again.

And once Wuyan Palace and Douling Commerce really gained the absolute upper hand, factions like Sky Thunder Valley, Zhao Family, and Thunder Sound Mountain would definitely add insult to injury immediately. Wu Zhukong saw these things clearly.

It wasn't just the leaders of first-class forces who thought this way, Wu Zhukong actually thought this way too.

Currently, even if Wuyan Palace united with Douling Commerce, they couldn't be very confident in going to the Refining Cloud Mountain headquarters to kill Yun Xiao, so they didn't make those futile efforts.

"But Palace Master, with Yun Xiao's talent, if given time, he might become a significant threat to our Wuyan Palace!"

Fu Lingxue's eyes flashed with a trace of gloom. She recalled the day when she fought against Yun Xiao and was completely suppressed by him. This made her somewhat panicked, uncertain about what it would be like the next time she saw Yun Xiao.

Someone with cultivation only at the half-step Heavenly Rank could suppress a late-stage Floating Life Realm expert, even when she had exhausted all her means, and this late-stage Floating Life Realm expert came from the top powerful force, Wuyan Palace.

This kind of ability to leap realms in combat was something Fu Lingxue had never heard of before. She clearly understood in her heart that Yun Xiao might not even need to reach the same late-stage Floating Life Realm level as her; as long as he broke through to the middle stage or even the early stage of the Floating Life Realm, she wouldn't be able to fight back.

It was this potential fear in her heart that let Fu Lingxue know time was pressing. The potential of that young man was truly terrifying; if he were allowed to grow, perhaps Wuyan Palace would be destroyed because of it.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Muster the full strength of Wuyan Palace to clash head-on with Refining Cloud Mountain?"

For some reason, after Fu Lingxue's left face was burned, Wu Zhukong's attitude towards this Fu Palace Master had inadvertently shifted, and his tone now became extremely sharp.

This might be because Fu Lingxue was no longer adorned with the beauty of yesteryear or perhaps due to Wu Zhukong's inner irritability. In any case, as soon as he spoke, the gloom in Fu Lingxue's eyes deepened further.

Fu Lingxue could feel the neglect from Wu Zhukong since she returned to Wuyan Palace, and all of this, she transferred entirely onto Yun Xiao. It was that brat from Refining Cloud Mountain who caused her harm.

However, at this moment, none of the elders within Wuyan Palace, from Wu Zhukong downwards, had any good solutions. As for the talk of mustering all of Wuyan Palace's forces to attack Refining Cloud Mountain, it was merely said in anger.

"Alas, after having been away for so many years, has the Wuyan Palace now become such a dispirited state?"

Just as Wu Zhukong and the elders of Wuyan Palace were at a loss and silent, a clear sigh suddenly came from outside the hall, startling all the strongmen in Wuyan Palace.

"Who's there?"

The Great Elder of Wuyan Palace had quite a fiery temperament. Hearing this unfamiliar voice, he immediately shouted sharply, not noticing that Wu Zhukong's face changed drastically.

"Why does this voice sound somewhat familiar?"

Wu Zhukong kept his gaze fixed on the door to the main hall, a peculiar thought arising in his heart, feeling the voice was somewhat familiar yet not clearly remembering it.

As the Great Elder's voice fell, Wu Zhukong was lost in thought. Suddenly, the entrance of the Holy Flame Hall dimmed, and an old man in a large red robe strode in. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The old man appeared quite aged, with a face full of wrinkles and dark red long hair that moved without any wind, exuding a distinct kind of majesty. However, his red robe looked somewhat shabby, as if it had not been washed or changed for many years.

"Is this... teacher?!"

When Wu Zhukong saw the red-robed old man for the first time, it felt as if his heart had been struck by a huge iron hammer, making his mind buzz, temporarily oblivious to his surroundings.

Speaking of which, Wu Zhukong's ascension to the position of Palace Master was rather accidental. It was because the previous Palace Master of Wuyan Palace, who was also his teacher, mysteriously disappeared one day.

According to what Wu Zhukong knew, his mysteriously missing teacher might have gone to search for the Secret Treasure related to Wuyan Palace, attempting to break through to the Heavenly Realm, but unexpectedly never returned.

In the end, with Wuyan Palace like a headless dragon on the verge of chaos, Wu Zhukong finally stood out, united several great elders, and became the Palace Master, developing the Wuyan Palace into prosperity.

Under the leadership of Wu Zhukong over the years, the Wuyan Palace has grown increasingly powerful, causing the elders and cultivators within to almost forget the mysteriously missing old Palace Master.

However, in Wu Zhukong's heart, he has always held the highest respect for his teacher, and unless he discovered his teacher's corpse, he could in no way believe his teacher had passed away.

Yet today, at a time when Wuyan Palace was in a dilemma due to Yun Xiao and the two major forces, the teacher who mysteriously disappeared years ago suddenly returned to Wuyan Palace. How could Wu Zhukong not be ecstatic?

"Old man, do you know the consequences of trespassing into the Holy Flame Hall of Wuyan Palace?"

Though Wu Zhukong recognized that it was his teacher, some other elders didn't react immediately due to the long passage of time. The Great Elder even shouted sternly again, with an unmistakable hint of killing intent in his voice.

This Great Elder of Wuyan Palace had no idea how terrifying that shabby old man before him really was. He only knew that this was the Holy Flame Hall of Wuyan Palace, where only some powerful elders were qualified to enter.

Pa!

However, just as the Great Elder of Wuyan Palace was about to unleash a surge of Meridian Qi to blast that red-robed old man away, he suddenly felt a pain at the back of his head, having been heavily struck from behind.

"Who hit me?"

Feeling the intense pain at the back of his head, the Great Elder's fury was unparalleled as he roared and turned around, but upon seeing that stern face, his neck instinctively shrank back.

"Palace Master..."

The person standing behind the Great Elder, slowly retracting his right hand, was none other than the current Palace Master of Wuyan Palace, Wu Zhukong. The Great Elder might challenge other elders but dared not throw a tantrum at the Palace Master.

The Great Elder couldn't understand why he, righteously attempting to expel that old man from the Holy Flame Hall, earned him a knock from the Palace Master.

"Blind fool, you can't even recognize my teacher?"

At this moment, Wu Zhukong was both delighted and furious. After scolding the Great Elder, he ignored him and strode towards the red-robed old man, straightaway kneeling down.

"Zhukong pays his respects to teacher; it has been many years. Teacher's well-being is truly a blessing for our Wuyan Palace!"

Kneeling on the ground, Wu Zhukong kowtowed three times towards the old man, and the form of address from his mouth left the elders of Wuyan Palace stunned, some even at a loss.

In fact, elders like Fu Lingxue and the Great Elder had met the old Palace Master many years ago, but the current disheveled appearance of the person made it hard for them to recognize him immediately.

"Is he really the old Palace Master?"

The Great Elder's face displayed uncertainty as he stared intently at the elderly man helping Wu Zhukong to his feet, finally aligning him with someone from his memories.

After realizing that the person did bear some resemblance to a certain figure from memory, the crowd had no more doubts. After all, if even Palace Master Wu Zhukong kowtowed to him, how could it possibly be a mistake?

"Greetings to the old Palace Master!"

As a result, many elders of Wuyan Palace including Fu Lingxue dared not delay further and fell to their knees before the old man. With even the Palace Master kneeling, how could they risk inviting disaster upon themselves by not doing the same?

"Forget it!"

The old Palace Master of Wuyan Palace, named Mu Shiyi, his eyes flashed with a trace of golden light, then he waved his hand and directly went to sit at the master seat at the top.

"Zhukong, you have disappointed me somewhat!"

Mu Shiyi paid no heed to the joy of Wu Zhukong and the others, and instead scolded with a shadowed face, the expression containing a deep sense of disappointment.

"This disciple's abilities are limited and naturally incomparable to teacher's in any way. Now that teacher has returned, our Wuyan Palace will surely regain its glory!"

In the presence of his teacher, Wu Zhukong was no longer evasive, admitting his faults straightforwardly. Moreover, the teacher who had suddenly returned to the palace gave him an inexplicable feeling, one even more mysterious and unfathomable than the President of the Meridian Refining Master Association.

It's worth noting that when Mu Shiyi disappeared years ago, he had already reached the peak of the Lingyun Realm. After many years of absence, it's quite possible he could have broken through to the Heavenly Realm.

Wu Zhukong feared only one person, Lu Yanji, the President of the Meridian Refining Master Association. The peak of Lingyun Realm cultivation was not something he could contend with and was the greatest concern holding him back before.