After the episode where Aotian committed friendly fire, the atmosphere in the room actually calmed down a lot.
Now, everyone was sitting on sofas in the VIP box, looking down at the arena. And this included the red-haired ghostly old man Liu Taixuan.
But the old man's furious eyes still glared at Aotian from time to time, while the young man's wife kept her eyes away from him, refusing to look at him, still angry.
The poor young master Long could only scratch his head, slightly distressed, with an ironic smile on his face.
'Ugh… I guess it wasn't worth it to irritate the old man like that…' he muttered helplessly.
It wasn't as if, with his thousands of minds, he hadn't foreseen that he would anger his wife by saying those words. But the old man had really made him furious, and he wanted to irritate him in the best way possible.
And what better way than to talk about a woman in his family?
The problem was that talking about the old man's wife was macabre and highly disrespectful, his mother was doubtful whether he even remembered her and it seemed wrong to offend her, and finally, the only one left was his great-granddaughter… who happened to be Aotian's wife.
So he weighed the options, and with his countless minds calculating, he decided it was worth it to annoy the annoying old man who had enraged him, even at the cost of making his wife equally angry for a while.
Now he had to pay the price for his decision.
"Sweetheart… I was wrong. Forgive me, I'll never say that again in front of others…" he begged for forgiveness humbly, in a gentle tone, tugging at her sleeve since she crossed her arms when he tried to take her hand.
It wasn't as if Aotian was weak in his relationship, but this time he was wrong, so he needed to be a man and apologize.
He reached out to hug her, but Rihai quickly pushed his arm away with her hand. Aotian tried to take her free hand, but Rihai promptly hid it, turning her face to the side, almost puffing her cheeks in irritation.
Aotian had to make an effort to hide the amusement in his eyes at seeing her like that, thinking she looked beautiful, but he still needed to maintain the role of someone repentant, so he couldn't smile.
He knew his wife, and he knew her anger would soon fade. Rihai was too gentle and calm to stay sulking when faced with a persistent and affectionate husband.
Beside him, a few meters away on the nearby sofa, Liu Taixuan cast a look of disdain at the boy who now acted humbly, but when he saw Aotian look at him and discreetly wink mischievously while leaning in to kiss the granddaughter's cheek—only for her to block it and still receive a tender kiss on the hand that made her ears turn red—he felt a vein burst on his forehead.
'Damn it! This boy really deserves a beating, he's no good!' If his illusory teeth could make noise, the grinding would echo across the entire stadium.
But there was something he had to admit, unwillingly: when the boy started cursing him earlier, the anger he felt at someone doubting his love — as well as the genuine feelings of love and protectiveness in his eyes for his granddaughter — couldn't have been faked. That's why he decided to wait and not act impulsively.
Besides, even if he burned his soul, sending his great-granddaughter to the Liu family was no longer an option, since his grandson wasn't there to protect her and things seemed uncertain over there. In the end, he didn't have a safe place to send her at the moment.
Thus, the best option was to observe this sect and be patient. Later, he could burn his soul at any time—there was no need to decide that now.
'Why didn't my grandson send her to the Liu family back then instead of to the desert? Could it be she wouldn't be safe there? Or did my grandson fear sending her there and risk the information about her having a Divine Physique leaking out, thus bringing danger or even destruction to the entire family?'
Doubts passed through his mind, and his eyebrows furrowed.
'No, I know my grandson. He wouldn't have sent his daughter to the desert if he could trust the family. The world is on a countdown, and the family will die anyway, so it makes no sense to trade false security for sacrificing one's own daughter.'
Many other possibilities crossed his mind, but he couldn't be certain of any. He needed more information.
Turning his gaze to his granddaughter, who—despite still turning her face away from her husband—already had her hand interlocked with his.
The old man's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
'Girl, can't you be a bit firmer?!' He rolled his eyes at the couple, helpless.
He had only spent a few seconds thinking, and she already started to forgive that irritating brat.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. Facing his granddaughter, he asked with doubt, distracting the couple that was already reconciling: "Hai'er, and your mother? What happened to her? Was she still in the Liu family when you left?"
Hearing the question, Aotian gently squeezed his wife's hand.
Rihai shook her head with sorrow, letting out a sigh.
"When I was born, my mother's sixteen-thousand-year lifespan was coming to an end. She had delayed her breakthrough to the Tribulation Transcendence realm because she wasn't confident she could surpass the tribulation and wanted to leave a child for my father, so he wouldn't have any burdens on his heart before attempting it."
"They tried for hundreds of years, until one day my mother finally managed to get pregnant."
"After my birth, she stayed with me for a year, recovering from childbirth, and then she went to face the Tribulation… unfortunately, she failed, and never returned to me or my father," she spoke softly, with a touch of sadness in her eyes.
She didn't remember much of her mother due to her young age, but as a cultivator, her memory was excellent, and she still kept the loving smile, the laughter, the liveliness and spontaneity of her mother in her memories. And likewise, she also remembered how much her father loved her mother, and how something inside him seemed to have died along with her at that time.
Unfortunately, even in a world where one could live thousands of years, life still felt so short and fleeting.
Old Liu Taixuan sighed at hearing that, remembering that the girl who married his grandson had only an average talent, and because of this, her lifespan was short. A Void Refiner could live around sixteen thousand years, while a Tribulation Transcendent could reach one hundred thousand if they didn't fall along the path.
His grandson's and granddaughter-in-law's lifespans were very different, and she must have been desperate, but still had the patience to wait for her daughter to be conceived before attempting to advance and live longer with her husband.
Liu Taixuan also had great affection for that gentle and lively young woman from that time.
'Unfortunately, the heavens are cruel to those without the qualifications to defy the fate of mortality.' The old man shook his head, with a bit of light dimming in his eyes.
He had long lost count of the people he loved or lived alongside who were now gone, and slowly he found himself increasingly alone, walking through the sands of time.
The phrase his grandson had told his daughter was, in truth, something he himself used to tell his grandson — who, with his talent, was fated to suffer the same fate as him.
'A cultivator is always gambling against death. If he loses, death takes him. If he wins, death takes revenge — stripping away everything and everyone around him, leaving him alone. In the end, there comes a moment when he must choose… either depart with death or live long enough to watch it take everything he holds most dear.'
Unlike him, his grandson chose to let death take him, while he remained here, clinging to this world.
'The only thing left for me is the desire to see a higher realm… but is it worth it? For living now that they're gone… doesn't feel like living.'
Melancholy flickered in his eyes, which drifted off, unfocused.
That was when a soft call pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Great-grandfather?"
Looking up, he saw his great-granddaughter watching him with worry, warming the old man's dusty heart a little.
"I'm fine, little girl. You don't need to worry about an old man like me. I was just recalling some old memories."
He chuckled softly, his brows relaxing and losing their scowl for the first time since the day began.
Now he looked more like a gentle grandfather than a ruler who had stood at the top of the world for so long.
Rihai smiled softly at the sight, feeling closer to this side of her great-grandfather, which resembled the stories her father once told her about him.
Unfortunately, the pleasant atmosphere was shattered by a certain damned boy.
"Hey, old man, your smile looks awful, but frowning makes you scare children."
Aotian's voice rang out, making a vein throb on Rihai's forehead as she genuinely wanted to punch her husband.
The old man's gentle smile also froze.
"Boy, you're testing my patience!" the old man roared, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth at the boy who looked at him with disdain, almost standing up to go beat him.
"Bah! If you hadn't tested mine first, I wouldn't be angry here." Aotian rolled his eyes, feeling better after annoying the old man. "Okay, senile geezer, now tell me — what was that about using Silent Cadaver Orchid to extract Dao rhyme from Rihai's roots?" he asked bluntly, changing the subject.
"What wicked thoughts are you harboring in that little head of yours, boy?! Already making your intentions to harm my granddaughter obvious?! I won't tell you even if I die!" he barked at the boy before him.
Though he spoke like that, Liu Taixuan distrusted him less after seeing the genuine love in the boy's eyes for his great-granddaughter. Yet two others, hidden in the void, were still present in the room, and he wouldn't say anything that could endanger his precious great-granddaughter.
"Hmm… old man, you've doubted me and my sect this whole time, but I haven't had the chance to doubt you yet. Let's see if you're really as honest as you claim!"
Aotian rubbed his chin and looked at him suspiciously.
"Ancestors, please ask Lie Zheng to come see us, I need him to judge this impostor."
He spoke firmly to the empty space beside him where the ancestors were hidden, not missing the chance to jab at the old man.
Rihai placed a hand on her forehead, helpless, while her great-grandfather nearly spat flames.
It wasn't that Aotian truly suspected the man wasn't his wife's great-grandfather, but the old man's intentions weren't clear, so he wanted confirmation.
A few minutes later, Lie Zheng, leader of the Punishment Pavilion, with his serious face and the vertical scar across his eye, arrived at the front of the VIP box.
And as the door opened, the argument inside reached his ears.
"Filthy malicious brat!"
"Stinking impostor old man!"
Knock, knock!
He tapped the open door, catching the attention of the two people who were arguing, almost bumping heads as they growled at each other, and they immediately stopped and turned to him.
Closing the door behind him, he stared at them, his gaze then landing on the main body.
"Young master, why did you summon me?" he asked politely, his fierce face calm.
"Elder Lie, please verify whether this person is truly my wife's grandfather and whether he harbors any malicious intentions toward her."
Aotian requested directly and just as politely.
Hearing the request, Lie Zheng turned toward the old man, who stared back in confusion.
'Why did the boy call a mere Soul Formation cultivator… wait! Soul Formation?! I know this face and aura! I remember that two years ago he was that Golden Core man presiding over this sect's recruitment! How the hell did he jump from the 3rd level of Golden Core to the 7th level of Soul Formation?!'
Liu Taixuan's eyes widened slightly, unable to contain his shock. He had investigated clearly back then — there was no way it was fake.
'Could it be… could they be deceiving my senses?! That would explain why all those inner elders of this sect were also at the 3rd level! But how? Not just Soul Formation — even if they were Void Refiners they couldn't fool my senses! Only if they were all at least Tribulation Transcendents, which is impossible… right?'
The more he thought, the stranger his expression became.
To leap two major realms directly and have stable cultivation in just two years couldn't be described as a demonic technique — it was more like a supreme immortal technique never before seen.
If it were early realms, maybe, but these were Nascent Soul and Soul Formation. Not even a demonic technique that burns soul and vitality and feeds on sacrifices would have such supreme effect.
That was why his mind was chaotic, but not once did he think it was some demonic art like he believed two years ago — instead, he believed they could hide their cultivation from his perception.
His thoughts snapped back when the scarred man asked in a firm tone:
"Boy, answer honestly and do not lie, for I will know. Are you truly her grandfather? For any gain, have you ever threatened—or do you threaten—the life or well-being of the girl?"
Lie Zheng questioned with narrowed eyes, lacking even a hint of mockery.
But being called "boy" by someone so young made Liu Taixuan frown with a dark expression.
"You!! Who—"
"Great-grandfather!"
Before he could confront the man, he was interrupted by his great-granddaughter's voice, drawing his attention as he stared at her in confusion.
Rihai took a deep breath and gently shook her head, sending him a voice transmission.
["Great-grandfather, Elder Lie Zheng isn't someone who provokes others out of malice. He is very serious and fair in everything he does. And well… the Infinite Dao Sect is not as simple as it seems."]
The old man frowned, saddened that his great-granddaughter would defend that sect over him — but when the next sentence came, his pupils shrank to the size of a needle.
["I fear… he might be older and more powerful than you, great-grandfather."]