177: You heard it, that lord is coming back!

Shen Nian slowly withdrew his gaze from the familiar Canglan City.

Six years ago, he left Canglan from this very spot, traveling to the Lower Realm via the ancient spatial Transmission Formation at the summit of Kunshan.

Now that Shen Nian had stepped into Void Return, he understood that under the Divine Thought of a Great Power, no disturbance could escape his notice—let alone a Dao Integration expert?

"It seems Old Ancestor intentionally sent me to the Lower Realm back then..." Shen Nian thought this, and a helpless smile appeared as the childlike old man surfaced in his mind.

Strange as it was, Shen Nian was clearly a Transmigrator, yet subtly, he resonated with some of the original host's emotions, especially after the self-sealed memories were unlocked.

"Perhaps it's due to the memories..." Shen Nian guessed inwardly. Behind him was only Jiang Churan, who was constantly eating sunflower seeds. When she heard someone was treating them to a meal, a flash of excitement crossed her beautiful eyes.

After the banquet last night, he found Xia Youyue and spoke with her privately, asking if she wanted to go Cultivate in the Upper Realm, where there would be more Opportunities. However, Xia Youyue refused, saying that she was not alone; she had the Great Xia behind her. Even if she Cultivated in the Lower Realm, she would certainly complete her Senior Brother's mission. To this, Shen Nian gave her the small task of spreading the supreme bone throughout her body within one year.

It was clear that Xia Youyue was very excited at the time, seeing as she didn't speak for half a day.

After making the decision, Shen Nian instructed Lin Yuan and Ji Xuqing to stay at the Heavenly Sword Sect for a while longer before leaving. After all, two members of the Royal Family from the Monster Realm had died in Great Xia, and if there was retaliation, Wang Cuihua alone might find it difficult to resist.

As for Ji Ba, Shen Nian slipped away without telling him. To be honest, this simpleton needed to experience more things on his own, or wouldn't Transmitting to the Lower Realm be too much of a waste?

The Ji Family surely didn't spend so much effort just to see him go down today and come back up tomorrow.

After much thought, Shen Nian realized that he was the only one who could leave immediately.

After all, Great Xia no longer had anything that could help him improve. If he wanted to continue advancing rapidly, he had no choice but to go to the Upper Realm. Furthermore, he vaguely felt that it was time to return.

With his memory recovered, he had already prepared to return when he went to the Lower Realm years ago. His Old Ancestor had personally written several Spatial Displacement Talismans for him, allowing him to return without needing the ancient Transmission Formation. He just hadn't expected Jiang Churan to follow him.

Moreover, she had her own way of passing through the barrier between the Upper and Lower Realms.

Shen Nian was not surprised. After all, she was the Daughter of Destiny; having some clever tricks was normal.

Just then, the woman's voice continued from the side.

"Young Master, this is your first time visiting Canglan City, right?"

Shen Nian turned his head to look. Standing before him was a lively and adorable girl in a blue dress, who looked sixteen or seventeen, with her high ponytail tied up with a red string. She was happily smiling as she introduced herself.

At her age, possessing Late Golden Core Stage strength could only be considered average talent in the Upper Realm.

However, within the Heavenly Wood Pavilion, those who could Cultivate the Heavenly Wood Spiritual Art should be direct descendants, meaning their talent shouldn't be poor; they should at least be at the Nascent Soul Stage. This made Shen Nian slightly surprised.

Seeing that Shen Nian didn't speak, she continued, "If this is your first time in Canglan City, then you've come to the right place today! Lanyue Tower's Yao Beast Banquet is famous, and many Cultivators from the Five Domains come here just for it!"

"You are in luck today!"

As she spoke, she was radiant and extremely proud, but inwardly, she was quite surprised.

"Heavens, killing an Early Nascent Soul Stage expert with one slap! He must at least be at the Late Nascent Soul Stage or even Perfection, yet it's his first time in Canglan City—that's truly rare!"

"I just wonder how old this Young Master is. If he's young, maybe I can recruit a Genius for the Pavilion..."

The girl introduced herself as Chai Xiaoxiao. She was someone Shen Nian ran into right after breaking through the boundary, fleeing for her life. She was being chased by several Cultivators barely at the Early Nascent Soul Stage. If Shen Nian hadn't instantly seen that she Cultivated the Heavenly Wood Spiritual Art of the Heavenly Wood Pavilion in Canglan City, he wouldn't have bothered with her based on his personality.

Her true identity was the biological daughter of the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Wood Pavilion, one of the three major powers (One Hall, One Sect, One Pavilion) in Canglan City. Shen Nian could easily tell that the girl had probably sneaked out of the Pavilion, and her extravagant spending habits had attracted attention, leading to the pursuit.

The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Wood Pavilion was technically Shen Nian's subordinate. After Shen Nian took the position of Young Clan Leader years ago, he received far more resources than Night King Shen Ye or Wolf King Shen Wudao.

Not only did the Old Ancestor personally select three hundred elites from the Cangtian Army to serve as his personal guards, renaming them the Divine Feather Guards, but he also bestowed the most prosperous of the Five Great Cities of Eastern Profound, Canglan City, upon Shen Nian. The City Lord and the three major powers within it were all considered his subordinates.

Keep in mind, he was only twelve years old then.

The Heavenly Wood Pavilion had a simple and honest style; they were essentially a medical team Cultivating wood-element defense and healing techniques. How bad could they be? It was because of this that Shen Nian saved Chai Xiaoxiao.

Just then.

A burly man walked out. He had a massive physique but was wearing the tight-fitting Lanyue waiter uniform, making him look very awkward.

He then carefully placed a sign by the entrance that read "Full Capacity."

This burly man possessed the strength of the Void Return First Layer. His speed was so fast that Chai Xiaoxiao didn't even notice him, and only Shen Nian and the constantly dazed Jiang Churan saw him.

Seeing this, Shen Nian asked softly, "Are you sure there are still seats?"

"Don't worry, Young Master, I still have some Face! Leave it to me!" Mu Xiaoxiao patted her chest, saying. After all, this was her savior; if she, Mu Xiaoxiao, couldn't even arrange a meal for him, she might as well stop trying to make a living in Canglan City.

Besides, this was her chance to show off her capabilities, as she had already decided to try and recruit Shen Nian.

After speaking.

She turned and walked into Lanyue Tower.

Although Lanyue Tower was called a restaurant, it was actually a towering palace that reached the heavens. Spiritual Qi was visibly dense, and it had nine floors; each higher floor represented a greater disparity in identity, strength, and status.

Two massive White Tigers made of White Jade Glaze, each three times the height of a person, stood guard on either side of the entrance. They held Divine Pearls in their mouths, and a hint of life could be seen in their eyes. Shen Nian, looking at these White Tigers now, saw them differently than before; he recognized that this was an extremely powerful Formation, and the White Tigers were the primary offensive components of this Formation, emitting terrifying fluctuations that far surpassed the Void Return Third Layer.

"What?"

"The fifth floor is full!"

"Are you kidding me? Xiao Li, check again for me!"

"I have a very important guest to treat today; get me a room no matter what!"

"I'll pay extra!"

In the magnificent, golden, and splendid hall, which was even more luxurious than the Great Xia Imperial Palace, people were everywhere. In a corner, Chai Xiaoxiao stood with her hands on her hips, speaking in an unquestionable tone.

The young man called Xiao Li, who was responsible for receiving honored guests on the second floor, scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Young Miss Mu, this isn't about paying extra; there really is nothing we can do. There have been far too many people coming from the Five Domains recently. Didn't you hear? That Lord is returning..."