Chapter 164: The Supreme Palace

　　The way the man looked at him made Yunxiao somewhat uncomfortable. ‘What did I do wrong?’ he thought in his head. Puzzled, he asked, “Yes. Why? Is there something wrong?”

　　The man’s smiling face instantly turned cold, and there was a sneer in his eyes as he snorted and said, “I’m Xiao Jian from the Hundred Swords Sect. Take care of yourself!” As soon as he had finished speaking, he strode straight on. It was he who had suggested them to travel together, but his attitude now clearly said that he did not take Yunxiao seriously anymore.

　　“Take care of myself?” That gave Yunxiao a pause. He hurried up and stopped Xiao Jian. “Why do you ask me to take care of myself, Brother Xiao Jian?”

　　“I’m not familiar with you, so don’t call me a brother.” Xiao Jian held his head up with a lofty air. When he saw the puzzled look on Yunxiao’s face, he sneered, “You really don’t know, do you? Well, I don’t mind telling you the truth. Are you unpopular in Dhyana Sect and often offend others?”

　　Yunxiao still did not understand. “Does it matter?”

　　Xiao Jian gave him a cold look and said sarcastically, “It matters a lot! Your Dhyana Sect is a famous hermit sect in Firecrow Empire. Apart from Neng Feichen, the rest of you are worthless, and his time is almost up. Who doesn’t know that you are the bottom sect? Supreme Palace flattered you by sending you the invitation, but you only send a Martial Master to attend the banquet? How ignorant and arrogant is that? So, you better take care of yourself later!”

　　Only then did Yunxiao understand the situation. Generally, the strength of the disciple sent by a sect to invite others for an event or to attend an event represented its attitude toward the others. For example, Supreme Palace only sent Fu Juncai, who was a Great Martial Master, to Dhyana Sect, but a Martial Lord to Hundred Swords Sect. Although Hundred Swords Sect only sent a Martial Lord to attend the celebration, Xiao Jian was actually the sect leader’s son, the chosen prospective sect leader.

　　When Xiao Jian saw Yunxiao, he thought he was a disciple from some powerful sect, which was huge enough to just send a Martial Master. That was the reason why he hurried up and suggested that they should travel together, so he could know him better. Little did he know that Yunxiao was just an insignificant disciple of Dhyana Sect, a sect that was far weaker than Hundred Swords Sect. If the Supreme Palace were provoked, it was very likely that they would kill this poor guy on the spot. Even if they spared him, they would still insult him in front of everyone.

　　Xiao Jian gave the poor guy, who was apparently framed by his own fellow disciples, a sarcastic look as he held his head up and walked away.

　　“I didn’t expect this,” Yunxiao said to himself with a wry smile. “Wouldn’t that make me stand out? This is going to be problematic.”

　　He could not think of a better way at the moment, and since he was already here, he could not just turn back and leave. So, he had no choice but move on and pray that he would not be recognized by Li Yi so soon.

　　Many people had arrived at Supreme Palace’s front gates. Xiao Jian showed his invitation to an old man in charge of receiving guests, who spoke a few polite words with him and asked a disciple to lead him in.

　　Yunxiao was shocked when he saw the buildings. ‘This Supreme Palace really is related to that Beiming family. Even its front gate is exactly the same as that of the Beiming Dark Palace, just that this one is smaller and not as grand,’ he thought.

　　At that moment, a man caught Yunxiao’s attention. When showing his invitation, the man said, “I’m Xingyang Ming from the Xingyang family of Firecrow Empire.”

　　Xingyang family!

　　Yunxiao’s pupils constricted. This Xingyang Ming was a two-stars Martial Lord, and judging from the faint Primordial Qi emanating from him, he was about to break through the next level.

　　“Welcome, my lord! This way please! Luo Mao, quickly bring Lord Xingyang Ming to the seat of honor!” The old man shouted. Although the Xingyang family was not much stronger than the Supreme Palace, it was one of the oldest and most powerful aristocratic families of the Firecrow Empire.

　　“Little brother, you are…” After Xingyang Ming went in, the old man saw Yunxiao. Shocked, so he asked quickly and carefully. A sect that only sent a Martial Master must be a very powerful sect, and there were less than five of them in Firecrow Empire. ‘Could this young man be a disciple from one of them?’ He dared not to neglect such an important guest.

　　Yunxiao smiled wryly when he saw the old man’s careful look. “I’m from Dhyana Sect,” he said while handing over the invitation.

　　“Oh, you are from Dhy…Wait, Dhyana Sect?!” The old man showed a surprised look at first, but then his eyes suddenly widened and his voice grew incredulous. Like Xiao Jian, he studied Yunxiao from top to bottom, then glanced at the invitation. “You are really from Dhyana Sect!”

　　That made the warriors coming to attend the celebration behind him stop in place and look over.

　　“What is Dhyana Sect trying to do? How insolent!”

　　“Heh! Supreme Palace throws this celebration banquet just to show off and display its strength. But in my opinion, Dhyana Sect is the one who is displaying its strength now!”

　　“Yea, how impressive! I can’t believe they just send a Martial Master here. This is no different from a slap in the face.”

　　“Haha! You’re right, and what a loud slap! I wonder how the Supreme Palace will react? Do you think they will kill him and make him an example?”

　　“I don’t think so. After all, today is a day of celebration. But, I’m sure there will be insults and humiliation.”

　　Yunxiao smiled bitterly in his heart as he listened to the chatter around him. Meanwhile, the old man’s face turned livid, and his eyes burned with rage. To him, it was a test of his wits, and he was so nervous that his forehead was already covered with cold sweats. With the people sent by all the well-known sects in Firecrow Empire watching them now, it would be a disgrace to Supreme Palace if he did not handle the situation well.

　　If he were allowed, he would have killed this stupid-looking lad with a slap. But, it was a taboo to kill someone on the Young Palace Master’s big day.

　　Suddenly, the old man’s eyes lit up, as if he had thought of a good idea. Staring coldly at Yunxiao, he asked, “May I know what gift does my lord from Dhyana Sect bring today?”

　　“Gift?” Yunxiao paused. He really forgot about it. If it were a few days ago, he might still have something on him, but now his storage ring was destroyed by Xiao Qingwang, and his new ring only contained the Cauldron of Five Elements, which he would never give to anyone.

　　That stunned the old man, and his mouth dropped open as if he were completely struck dumb. “Don’t… don’t tell me you did not bring any gift?”

　　Yunxiao gave him an embarrassed smile and said, “Ugh…well…I will bring it next time, I promise.”

　　The people around felt their heads reel. It was a pure provocation instead of a congratulation. If he were sent here because he was framed by his fellow disciples, then the fact that he did not bring a gift was no less than a slap in the face.

　　The old man choked back his anger and took some time to calm down. His eyes were wide with fury, but he tried his best to make his voice calm, “Fine, fine, fine! Zhu San, come over here and lead our guest from the Dhyana Sect inside!”

　　A disciple hurried over, and when he saw the look on the old man’s face, he knew what he should do. “My lord, please come with me!” he cried, drawing out his voice.

　　Under the mocking eyes of the crowd, Yunxiao took a few steps, and then he suddenly asked, somewhat astounded, “Where are we going? Why did they all go through the front gate?”

　　“Front gate?” Zhu San glared at him and said in a loud mocking voice, “You are a lord, so you have to go this way. We have an entrance for dogs here and it leads directly to the woodshed. When the banquet starts later, I will bring you a bowl of rice. Do eat more, and make sure you are full before you go back. We can’t let Dhyana Sect accuse the Supreme Palace for not serving you even a bowl of rice!”

　　“Haha!”

　　The crowd burst into laughter instantly. Zhu San’s voice was loud, so everyone heard him clearly. They laughed wantonly, and their eyes were filled with derision. Even the old man was laughing, and all his anger vanished in an instant. The more he looked at Zhu San, the more he found the latter likable. ‘How come I didn’t realize this boy had such good skills before? Not bad! I will promote him after this.’

　　Surrounded by the wild laughter, Yunxiao’s face was calm. No one knew that he was also laughing in his heart now. He had planned to sneak out during the banquet, and he was worried that someone might find out. But, little did he expect that he would be given such an excellent opportunity. He purposely put on a look of distress and sighed over and over again.

　　“Let’s go, sighing will not do you any good. I’ve prepared the woodshed for you. This way please, my lord!”

　　With a hint of a smile on his face, Yunxiao entered through a small door after Zhu San, and sure enough, he was led to a woodshed. Zhu San pushed open the shed’s door and sneered, “I’ll leave you here, my lord, as I have other more important tasks to attend. When the rice is served later, remember to eat a few more bowls. Haha!” He laughed triumphantly and left, leaving Yunxiao behind.

　　Yunxiao sneered and walked directly into the woodshed, where he sat cross-legged down and sent out his divine sense. In just the blink of an eye, the whole Supreme Palace was under his monitoring. He carefully avoided some powerful aura. Although his divine sense should be the strongest here, it was always good to be careful.

　　But, what he saw immediately put a frown on his face. This Supreme Palace had not only copied Beiming Dark Palace’s front gate, but even their interiors were almost identical. Moreover, the extreme cold energy they cultivated was actually the Beiming cold energy of the Beiming family, which was one of the most vicious energies in the world. And Luo Yunshang’s pure Yang energy happened to be one of the cultivation techniques that could suppress it. He did not understand why two of the most brutal cultivation techniques in the world would appear in Firecrow Empire at the same time.

　　“Since its interior is identical to that of Beiming Dark Palace, their treasury should be at the same place as well!” Yunxiao smiled, and he disappeared from the woodshed very quickly, running toward a small gallery beside the main hall.

　　In his previous life, he had attacked and escaped Beiming Dark Palace three times. Had he not been helped by someone, he would have died inside almost every time, so he was very familiar with its layout. Although this place was a lot smaller, as it was a copy, he found no difficulty in navigating around.

　　Soon, he came in front of a small yard after passing a few galleries. Inside it was an ancient square tower, which looked splendid with its crystal clear building material.