274: Saintess Ji Hui

Ji Hui did not wait for your invitation; she sat down on the stone stool opposite you as naturally as if entering her own courtyard, while the old man remained expressionless, standing silently behind her like an ancient pine.

With your usual smile, you looked up at her: "Eldest Princess, you have come uninvited. May I ask what advice you have for me?"

"I will not hide it from you," Ji Hui said, her gaze clear and direct, "I returned this time specifically for you."

"May I ask which faction Your Excellency hails from? And why would you choose to live in seclusion on this resource-poor Shattered Star Continent?" She asked directly, making no effort to hide her curiosity.

As it turned out, all affairs, big or small, within the Immortal Dynasty were under the surveillance of the informants she had planted in secret—she had long known of your various deeds when you first entered the Imperial City, but she hadn't paid much attention to them at the time.

It wasn't until she received an urgent report that even her father, the Emperor, had been unable to affect you or that strange Spirit Beast in the slightest, even after using the national treasure, the Human Emperor's Seal, that she truly became intensely interested.

She speculated that you might be a figure from a major faction on Tianyang Star, lurking here with ulterior motives, which was why she had promptly returned to the Immortal Dynasty specifically to meet you.

However, when she truly saw you in person, that speculation wavered—she knew almost all the famous Prodigies and important figures on Tianyang Star, and your aura and appearance were not among them.

You had already guessed seven or eight parts of her intentions. Facing her straightforward inquiry, you simply smiled indifferently and casually threw out a half-truthful, half-false reason:

"I once heard that there is an ancient ruin on Tianyang Star where a Mysterious Immortal Palace often manifests. Therefore, I am staying here for a while, quietly waiting for the Opportunity."

Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she looked at you with a contemplative expression, not knowing what she was weighing in her heart.

Seeing her pondering, you asked in return: "What is it? Could it be that this Immortal Dynasty... does not welcome me?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hui gently raised her eyebrows—

In the next instant,

A pure and condensed force of Divine Sense quietly surged from between her brows, spreading toward you like invisible tentacles.

Clearly, she did not fully believe your explanation and was attempting to probe your background in the most direct way possible.

However, just as her Divine Sense was about to touch your body—

Hum!

A low, strange vibration that pierced straight into the Divine Soul exploded without warning in her Sea of Consciousness!

Ji Hui felt the world suddenly go black before her eyes, followed by stars dancing in her vision. An indescribable dizziness and stinging pain erupted from the depths of her Divine Soul, causing her body to sway involuntarily.

"Saintess!"

The old man behind her turned pale, took half a step forward, and his aura instantly tightened—

The old man knew Ji Hui's strength all too well: although the Saintess was at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, she practiced the secret arts of the Divine Dragon Cult, and the strength of her Divine Soul was by no means inferior to an ordinary Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.

Even when facing a Nascent Soul Peak existence, there would never be such a violent backlash!

Ji Hui endured the discomfort of her Divine Soul and immediately circulated the Soul Suppression Technique passed down by her Revered Master. Within a few breaths, she managed to suppress that tumultuous feeling.

She raised her hand to gesture for the old man to calm down, her voice remaining steady: "It is fine."

She appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, her heart was already churning with raging waves—

She was not like the narrow-minded Cultivators on the Shattered Star Continent; she had not only seen a Deity Transformation Grand Expert, but had also been fortunate enough to spar under the guidance of her Revered Master.

Her Revered Master was the current leader of the Divine Dragon Cult, a true Deity Transformation Grand Expert!

And just now, the sense of absolute, insurmountable separation that fed back when her Divine Sense touched you was exactly the same as what she had felt in front of her Revered Master!

It was a deep sense of powerlessness—

As if, despite using all her strength, she was facing an invisible chasm lying before her, unfathomable and vast.

She could even vaguely perceive that if this "barrier" had the slightest intention to counterattack, her Divine Sense would be like a block of ice thrown into a raging fire, slowly melting and eventually annihilating.

This feeling of walking on the edge of life and death was something she had only experienced when facing her Revered Master.

A conclusion that made her mind tremble had inevitably floated to her heart.

As for you, you were quite helpless regarding her attempt to probe you—

That was not a defense you had intentionally set up; to be precise, it was more like the natural "separation" and "repulsion" that occurs when there is too great a gap in the level of life.

Just as an ant cannot comprehend the composition of a mountain, her Divine Sense was "repelled" the moment it approached you by that higher-tier existence—

This was purely an instinct.

The way Ji Hui looked at you was now completely different from before—

It was intertwined with undisguised fear, a trace of awe stemming from a Cultivator's instinct, and thick confusion.

She truly could not understand why a Soul Transformation level existence would be willing to stay on this resource-poor Shattered Star Continent.

She took a deep breath, lowered her posture significantly, and her voice softened much more: "Senior, please forgive me... It is just that this Junior is truly curious. Since you possess such heaven-defying cultivation, why are you willing to stoop to living in this resource-scarce place?"

"If you are willing, this Junior can provide an introduction for you to go to Tianyang Star. My Revered Master would certainly be delighted to discuss the Dao with you, Senior."

Her shift from arrogance to humility, acting like a completely different person, made you understand—it seemed her speculation about your strength was already eight or nine parts correct.

You nodded inwardly; she was worthy of being someone who had walked out of the Shattered Star Continent and gained experience on a higher level. Her discernment and knowledge were indeed far beyond what a frog in a well could compare to.

Naturally, you did not know that her firm judgment stemmed from having personally experienced guidance from a Soul Transformation Cultivator in her sect; that was a realization etched into her very bones.

You had no interest in her invitation and simply smiled indifferently, shaking your head: "No need. I have already found peace here. If it weren't for you coming one after another, I would actually find this place quite good."

Upon hearing this, a flash of understanding crossed Ji Hui's eyes, and she readily accepted: "It was this Junior who was abrupt. Senior does not like the disturbances of worldly affairs; this Junior understands."

She pondered for a moment and then proactively offered a way out: "Senior, this Junior has returned this time, and my father, the Emperor, will be hosting a banquet in the palace tomorrow night. If Senior does not mind, would you be willing to grace us with your presence?"

You frowned slightly, just about to politely refuse, but Qin Han, who was beside you, snatched the Opportunity, holding the half-eaten imperial lotus fruit and nodding repeatedly: "Okay, okay! Prepare plenty of the spirit wine from your imperial palace! I love drinking that!"

The corners of Ji Hui's lips curled up slightly, and she immediately agreed: "Naturally, there will be plenty."

She seemed to recall something else and said seriously: "I just heard Senior mention that you are waiting for the Mysterious Immortal Palace in the ruins of Tianyang Star to manifest."

"Since Senior does not plan to go to Tianyang Star for now, when the signs of the Mysterious Immortal Palace manifesting become clear, this Junior will send someone to inform you immediately, is that alright?"

"No need for such trouble," you shook your head and said indifferently, "I will set off for Tianyang Star in advance when the time comes. Besides, this place is millions of miles away from Tianyang Star; even if you send someone to pass the message, by the time I arrive, I will likely have missed the Opportunity."

These words also expressed a trace of doubt in your heart—

She came from Tianyang Star; logically speaking, it should have taken at least a month. Why was she able to appear in the Imperial City so suddenly?

Moreover, you had not detected the auras of the two of them during these past few days.