Chapter 705: I'll Protect You Once

"Junior Fang Wuya greets the Founder," he said, performing a profound bow.

"I don't deserve such respect," Immortal Daoist quickly waved his hand. "The Ask-the-Dao Sect has endured until now, and your contribution is no less than my own."

"The Founder established the Ask-the-Dao Sect; such a profound bow is well deserved," Fang Wuya stated earnestly.

"Senior Sister, who else in our sect knows about Senior Hanhai?" Lu Yang whispered.

"Senior Hanhai is our sect's most powerful hidden asset, not to be used lightly. By regulation, only the Sect Master is permitted to know of his existence."

"However, during Grandmaster's time, he never informed Master about Senior Hanhai. Consequently, Grandmaster was the only person in the sect who knew Senior Hanhai existed."

Lu Yang wondered if Grandmaster had withheld the information because he feared that with a Half-Immortal backing him, Master would become even more reckless and prone to causing trouble.

It appeared that Master's constant trickery and deceit had caused Grandmaster to lose trust in him.

In contrast, although he had resurrected ancient immortals and drawn out ancient Integration, Tribulation, and Half-Immortal cultivators, these events were all due to various coincidences and not by his design.

He presumed this was why Senior Sister considered him not a troublemaker and was willing to share the secret of Senior Hanhai.

Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang, her expression one of surprise. *Wasn't it because the troubles you caused were beyond Daoist Hanhai's capabilities, making it irrelevant whether Yun informed you of his existence or not, that she told you?*

"Later, Grandmaster recognized my exceptional cultivation talent and hoped Senior Hanhai could guide me through my cultivation difficulties. That's when he broke precedent and introduced me to Senior Hanhai."

"And then what happened?"

"Then *I* guided Senior Hanhai through *his* cultivation difficulties. He had an epiphany and has been in secluded cultivation ever since."

Lu Yang was speechless.

Meng Jingzhou was equally speechless.

Was Senior Hanhai truly in secluded cultivation due to an epiphany?

"By the way, Senior Sister, Venerable Guiyuan isn't still alive, is he?"

Senior Sister gently shook her head. "Venerable Guiyuan disappeared a very long time ago."

"If Venerable Guiyuan were still alive, there would have been no talk of the Ask-the-Dao Sect's decline or resurgence."

Venerable Guiyuan was a contemporary of the Xia and Meng family ancestors and established the concept of the Five Great Immortal Sects. His power was beyond doubt. If someone of his caliber had remained in the Ask-the-Dao Sect, how could it have ever declined, or even spoken of a "resurgence"?

Lu Yang considered this; it certainly made sense.

"How did Venerable Guiyuan disappear?"

"According to sect records, one day eighty thousand years ago, Venerable Guiyuan declared his intention to wander the world. He then vanished without a trace, and no one has heard from him since or knows where he went."

"I suspect he might be trapped somewhere, unable to leave," Senior Sister sighed. Venerable Guiyuan was a Half-Immortal, and Half-Immortals have limited lifespans. Eighty thousand years have passed, and it's unknown whether he remains trapped or if his lifespan simply ran out.

Of course, he could also have had the misfortune of encountering an Immortal and been immediately killed.

"Speaking of which, Founder, how did you become a mortal? Did you discard your cultivation to start anew?" Daoist Hanhai inquired.

Immortal Daoist nodded. "I did."

"So, you're planning to cultivate again? How about I teach you?" Daoist Hanhai asked, a hint of excitement in his expression.

Immortal Daoist felt there was something peculiar about Daoist Hanhai's offer.

While it wouldn't be difficult for him to regain his Integration Stage cultivation, having a Half-Immortal as a guide would undeniably be more effective than cultivating alone.

"Alright."

Seeing Immortal Daoist agree, Daoist Hanhai grew even more excited. "Then let's start cultivating now—"

"Ah, no, there's no rush right now," Immortal Daoist interrupted, cutting off Daoist Hanhai's sentence.

"You see, I'll definitely be cultivating within the sect in the future, which means I'll be interacting with other disciples."

"I can't just tell them I'm the Founder; they would become very reserved and stiff."

"And I can't just directly join the Ask-the-Dao Sect either," Immortal Daoist chuckled awkwardly. "That would make it seem like I got in through the back door, giving our Ask-the-Dao Sect a bad reputation for shady practices."

"So, what are you suggesting?"

"Isn't the entrance examination about to begin? I was thinking I could try to pass it and join our sect as a regular disciple, starting everything fresh."

Daoist Hanhai's eye twitched. Unsure how to respond, he remained silent for a long moment before finally saying respectfully, "As the Founder commands."

"Well, since my secluded cultivation hasn't yielded any results anyway, how about I take you, Founder, on a tour of the current Ask-the-Dao Sect?" Daoist Hanhai offered with a smile.

He had been in seclusion for so long, but every time he closed his eyes, he was plagued by memories of Yunzhi's punches and kicks, each strike potentially lethal. Consequently, his cultivation efforts yielded no results.

Furthermore, progressing from a Half-Immortal to a true Immortal cannot be achieved solely through secluded cultivation. Throughout history, no Immortal has ever ascended by simply remaining in isolated retreat.

"That's a very good idea," Immortal Fairy remarked. With her profound wisdom, she instantly saw through Daoist Hanhai's true intentions.

Selflessly, she analyzed the path to becoming an Immortal for Lu Yang: "To cultivate and achieve Immortality, the most crucial elements are enlightenment and mindset. There are many Dao Fruits similar to the Immortal Dao Fruit—such as the Undying Dao Fruit and the Indestructible Dao Fruit—so why did none of them succeed, and only I did?"

Lu Yang couldn't help but interject, "Isn't it simply because you, Fairy, are exceptionally talented?"

Immortal Fairy was about to say, "It's because I have an excellent mindset," but hearing Lu Yang's words, her face immediately lit up, and she chuckled gleefully. "Yes, exactly! Because I'm a genius."

Daoist Hanhai continued, "Presumably, after Yunzhi met the Founder, she brought you directly to me, so you haven't had a chance to tour the current Ask-the-Dao Sect yet."

"The Ask-the-Dao Sect of today is quite different from your time. For instance, just take Prisoner Peak; it houses highly cultivated, severe criminals."

Immortal Daoist nodded. "Yes, I visited Prisoner Peak. It certainly holds many legendary Grand Cultivators, including Nightmare Supreme and Void Supreme."

"Yes, it also holds Nightmare Supreme and Void… Wait a minute. Who did you say was on Prisoner Peak?" Daoist Hanhai trailed off, realizing something was amiss.

How long has it been since I went into seclusion? When did Prisoner Peak start housing Half-Immortals? How could I not know about this?

Immortal Daoist gave Daoist Hanhai a peculiar look, then gestured towards Yunzhi. "I heard Yunzhi captured them."

Standing beside Yunzhi were Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

Daoist Hanhai's attention had previously been entirely on Immortal Daoist, so he hadn't noticed the two powerful Infant Stage cultivators.

"Who are you two?"

"Greetings, Ancestor Hanhai. My name is Lu Yang, and I am a disciple of Daoist Buyu."

"Greetings, Ancestor Hanhai. My name is Meng Jingzhou; I'm from the Meng family and have now joined our sect."

Daoist Hanhai's knowledge of Daoist Buyu's disciples was still outdated, limited to the third disciple, Gantian, completely unaware that there were now four.

"Two promising juniors. Since Yunzhi brought you to me, she must hold you in high regard, believing you both possess exceptional talent and a bright future."

"Yunzhi's judgment has always been excellent."

"As an Ancestor, I can't meet you empty-handed. However, I don't have any suitable gifts for you readily available."

Daoist Hanhai pondered for a moment before saying, "Tell you what: if you two cause any major trouble in the future, I will guarantee your safety once."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou quickly bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Ancestor Hanhai!"