"How can I not come? Didn't you say it yourself, Grandpa? I'm born with divine strength. If any danger arises, I can help you. Look, even this Immortal King-level ferocious beast couldn't get past me. Didn't I just kill it with my bare hands?"
Zhu Xuan had a natural air of arrogance between his brows, and he pouted unhappily.
Elder Zhu shook his head in frustration. "The population on the floating continent is dwindling, and all kinds of rare treasures have disappeared. Even many ferocious beasts are on the verge of extinction. Yet you still don't listen to me and go hunting for them. You're really disobedient."
Zhu Xuan knew what he was going to say and had already anticipated it. He smiled and said, "It's not that I deliberately went hunting. This beast was asking for death by trampling on the Wang family's herb garden. I just happened to catch it in the act and killed it."
Elder Zhu grew even more helpless, not knowing how to scold this adopted grandson of his.
However, Zhu Xuan suddenly changed the subject and looked at Ling Yuling outside the light barrier. His eyes flashed with admiration as he said, "Is this the Zhen Emperor you mentioned, Grandpa? Although she's wearing a veil, she looks incredibly beautiful. This is the first time I've seen such an immortal beauty... no, actually, it's not the first time..."
His arrival slightly eased the tense atmosphere.
But hearing this, Elder Zhu's expression changed, and he sternly scolded, "Shut up, you brat! How dare you speak so carelessly? Do you want to die?"
The peerless beauty outside the light barrier was most likely the legendary Zhen Emperor, a being who transcended the five elements and reincarnation, existing beyond the six realms—a true embodiment of strangeness.
If not for this light barrier, she could annihilate everyone here with just a thought.
"Even if she is the Zhen Emperor, so what? She can't enter. With the barrier left by the Sacred Ancestor, what are you all worried about?" Zhu Xuan said dismissively.
"Shut up!"
Seeing his fearless attitude, Elder Zhu felt even more frustrated and scolded him harshly.
At this moment, several streaks of light flew across the sky, quickly approaching.
At the forefront were several imposing figures. One of them looked extremely old, with little hair and sunken eyes. He held a snake-headed cane, but wisps of rules and order emanated from his fingertips, indicating his formidable cultivation.
Beside him was a red-dressed young woman who also drew attention. Her skin was as white as porcelain, her lips as red as blood, and her eyes were enchanting. Though she looked young, her demeanor carried a sense of age.
"The heads of the major families have arrived."
"That's good. There shouldn't be any issues now."
Seeing this, Elder Zhu also breathed a sigh of relief.
There were six major families on the floating continent, each with a long history, as they were the first to escape here.
Ling Yuling remained silent outside the light barrier, quietly observing everything.
She wasn't in a hurry to enter now. The situation in this hidden place was far different from what she had expected.
She didn't know what these beings had experienced or what had happened to them.
With so many local beings arriving, she could learn about the events from their accounts.
"Greetings, Elder Zhu."
The old man holding the snake-headed cane was named Wang Tong, a elder of the Wang family and one of its current decision-makers.
The red-dressed young woman was Shangguan Qing, the head of the Shangguan family.
Her voice, unlike her aged aura, was quite light and youthful.
After arriving, they all cautiously observed Ling Yuling outside the light barrier while asking Elder Zhu about what had just happened.
Elder Zhu briefly explained.
The incident began when the relic left by the Sacred Ancestor suddenly showed signs of activity, alarming Elder Zhu, who had been guarding the Sacred Ancestor's Pavilion.
Elder Zhu then led people to the border of the floating continent to investigate, thinking that some strange beings were trying to force their way in.
But who would have thought it might be the legendary Zhen Emperor descending?
This was why Elder Zhu urgently sent someone to report to the council and had the major families send representatives.
"From the looks of it, she does resemble the legendary Zhen Emperor, and her strength is unfathomable. I just don't know if the barrier left by the Sacred Ancestor can still hold her back after so many years," said Wang Tong, the Wang family's head, his expression grave as he stared at Ling Yuling outside the barrier.
The concept of "strangeness" was elusive. Normally, it couldn't be seen or sensed.
It only revealed itself when it came into contact with living beings.
In the distant past, there was no such thing as "strangeness." Even now, many civilizations had no idea of its existence.
The origins of strangeness were a topic of much debate.
Everyone on the floating continent believed that strangeness was formed from deceased beings transformed by special environmental fields. Not all dimensions could produce strangeness.
However, there was also a theory that strangeness was artificially created—a type of eerie being that, unlike shadows, was a transformed life form that could be eradicated.
Another type of eerie being, shadows, were far more terrifying and troublesome, almost impossible to eliminate.
As their name suggested, shadows lurked within the shadows of their hosts. Wherever there was light and darkness, shadows would appear, following their hosts like a shadow, impossible to shake off.
In the history of the floating continent, they had only encountered shadows a few times, but they had managed to eliminate them with great difficulty.
Ling Yuling, listening to the conversations of the local beings inside the light barrier, grew even more puzzled.
It seemed that during her time trapped in the dark realm, the Vast Expanse had undergone many changes unknown to her—changes that even a supreme civilization like the Prime-Origin Civilization was unaware of.
"I don't know how you found your way here or if someone is controlling you from behind the scenes, intending to wipe us out completely. But with the Sacred Ancestor's relic guarding this place, you won't be able to break in."
The red-dressed young woman, Shangguan Qing, though charming and delicate, spoke with great authority as she addressed Ling Yuling through the light barrier.
She was an ancestor of the Shangguan family, having cultivated for an extremely long time. Her appearance couldn't be used to judge her strength.
Ling Yuling was truly at a loss, not knowing how to reveal her identity and make them lower their guard.
She didn't know how to prove that she wasn't the Zhen Emperor. Even if she swore on her Dao heart, these local beings probably wouldn't believe her.
"Forget it. I have no intention of being your enemy, and I'm not the Zhen Emperor you speak of. But since you're hostile toward me, I'll leave," Ling Yuling said with a slight nod, preparing to depart. She couldn't possibly force her way in by attacking these local beings.
Seeing Ling Yuling turn to leave so decisively, everyone inside the light barrier was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
"Grandpa, did we really misunderstand her?" Zhu Xuan asked softly.
Elder Zhu's expression didn't relax at all. He scolded in a low voice, "Shut up! Strangeness is cunning. Our clan has been hunted by strangeness all along. How could they just let us go? This is clearly a retreat to advance, trying to make us lower our guard and stop doubting her identity."
He was the guardian of the Sacred Ancestor's Pavilion on the floating continent, a highly respected figure.
With him saying this, the others naturally had no objections.
Regardless of whether the peerless woman outside the light barrier was the Zhen Emperor, they couldn't allow a stranger of unknown origin to enter the floating continent.
However, at this moment, a surge of astonishing energy erupted from the depths of the floating continent.
The sky there seemed to crack open, and an ancient bronze gate appeared, followed by the opening of a bronze palace. A towering divine mountain could be faintly seen, with layers of stone steps leading to its peak.
The bronze palace stood majestically atop the divine mountain.
"Why has the Sacred Ancestor's Mountain suddenly manifested?"
This shocked everyone inside the light barrier, including Elder Zhu and the others.
The scene was dazzling, sacred, and supreme, filled with wondrous sights. A great Dao lotus bloomed, carrying traces of the Dao.
A white crane appeared, its feathers radiant and glowing with immortal light. It flew out, carrying a veiled woman dressed in green robes, her face obscured by a plain veil.
Her aura was shrouded in chaotic energy, and she exuded a dense concentration of Ancestral Dao Realm substances.
"Fairy Qing!"
Seeing the figure riding the crane, Elder Zhu, Shangguan Qing, Wang Tong, and the others exclaimed in surprise.
Zhu Xuan was even more astonished and hurriedly shouted, "Master!"
Elder Zhu immediately glared at him and said, "Don't shout nonsense! Fairy Qing has never accepted you as her disciple. Don't be presumptuous and annoy her."
Zhu Xuan muttered softly, "She bestowed upon me a cultivation technique, allowing me to control the power within my body. She even cured my illness. How can she not be my master?"
"Fellow Daoist, please stop."
The green-robed woman riding the crane didn't pay attention to Elder Zhu and the others below. Instead, she looked at Ling Yuling outside the light barrier, who was about to leave, and spoke in a cold voice.
Ling Yuling was surprised. She hadn't expected such a powerful and mysterious existence to reside within this floating continent.
The aura of the Ancestral Dao Realm was extremely dense, far surpassing that of ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm beings.
In her current state, not having fully recovered her strength, she might not even be a match for this person.
However, she wasn't afraid at all. She stopped outside the light barrier and nodded slightly. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
"The old friend you wish to see, Nan Zun, is my mother."
The green-robed woman looked at Ling Yuling outside the light barrier, her expression somewhat complicated, and then spoke calmly.