After they disappeared from Dragon's Peak the ten figures appeared in the starry sky.
"This is the tenth time that this has happened!" One of them said with a low growl.
"How could there possibly be ten sightings in just seven days? It is as if someone is purposely spreading false rumors of His Highness… But why?"
"I don't care about their reason, but to waste our time like this… these bastards deserve a thousand deaths!"
"Just a thousand deaths? I'd skin these bastards, salt them, and then throw them in boiling water!"
"Ahhh… We have been working our butts off nonstop for the past seven days with no rest… His Highness… please have mercy and let us find you…"
The ten figures all cried silently before returning to work— wandering the Nine Heavens without any real leads to Tian Yi.
Back at the Dragon's Peak, Tian Yi was in the crowd, his back soaked in sweat.
'That was such a close call! To think they'd bring out the Celestial Ball! Father is really serious about bringing me back!' he thought to himself.
The Celestial Ball is a unique treasure made by Tian Qiang himself, used to trace any Spirit Qi from anyone under the Nine Heavens as long as he has sensed it before.
'Luckily I had changed my Spirit Qi before I left!' he sighed in relief.
Every person under heaven has their own unique Spirit Qi just like how one's fingerprints are unique. Under normal circumstances, nobody would be able to change another person or their own Spirit Qi no matter how heavenly their cultivation is, but Tian Yi— being the heaven-defying existence that he is— was able to do it without trouble, being the first person in history to achieve such a feat.
Beside Tian Yi, Caiyi was somewhat dazed, her eyes sparkling like stars in the starry sky.
"Did you see that, Shuyi? That was the Celestial God Army, an army full of Supreme Gods and True Immortals, a powerful force that everybody under all Nine Heaven fears!" she said, clearly filled with admiration.
"I-Is that so…"
"Aiya... if only I can join them as a soldier, then I'd be able to see His Highness more frequently!"
Tian Yi smiled bitterly at her ignorant words. Forget about those ten figures just now, even the Generals would not be able to see him easily!
'But that's weird… Who and for what purpose did they spread such a rumor?' he pondered, but there were no clues to the answer.
Many minutes passed since the ten figures left, but barely anyone had left the Dragon's Peak.
"This is ridiculous! This is the third time I have left my closed cultivation because of some rumor!"
"Fuck! I was in the middle of a breakthrough when I heard some idiot near my door speaking of the rumor, causing my mind to wander, and thus, failing to breakthrough!"
"If I ever find that scoundrel who is clearly messing with our maiden heart, I will make that person walk around the Ninth Heavens naked— while making chicken noises!"
An endless wave of complaints and grievances entered the old man's ears, causing him to nearly laugh out loud. 'It's working! It's working! Hahaha!' he burst out laughing inwardly.
And the middle-aged man who was by his side facepalmed while shaking his head in regret. Why did he join such a Sect, again? What was it that was in the Sect Master that he had admired countless years ago? He could not remember, especially not after all this nonsense the Sect Master started doing a few days ago, spreading false rumors of His Highness.
Besides Tian Yi was Meng Xiang, her eyes wide with awe. Just the mention of this 'His Highness' had caused so many people to show up. Just what kind of existence was His Highness? She did not know why, but her head turned to look at the ordinary-looking young man that was holding her hands so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd.
"Big Brother, do you think His Highness would let me see him if I asked nicely?" she asked him, still remembering how generous of a being His Highness was in the stories he told her.
"… Why do you want to see him?" he asked her with a puzzled face.
"I just want to see what kind of person he is…" she said, her eyes like that of a child who wished to see the hero in a story she'd heard since young.
"Hmm…" Tian Yi thought about it for a moment before speaking. "Although it is not easy to see him, it's not impossible. You will get to see him one day, that I am sure of."
"Un!" Meng Xiang nodded with enthusiasm, patiently waiting for the day to meet this 'His Highness.'
Caiyi who was watching their interaction silently shook her head. These two were too ignorant, speaking of meeting His Highness as if it was something casual. Forget about Immortals, forget about Gods, even the Nine Heavens' Overlords— rulers of the Nine Heavens— find cultivating to the apex easier than to meet His Highness!
With a sigh, Caiyi turned to look at where the ten figures disappeared, her eyes filled with profound emotions. "One day…" she mumbled.
"Shuyi, let's go; there's nothing much here for us to do," said Caiyi as she summoned her Spirit Vessel.
Tian Yi nodded, taking Meng Xiang with him onto the wooden boat.
Right as they sped away into the distance, Tian Yi turned to look back at the crowd, his gaze filled with emotions. 'So many people gathered here just because of me…?'
He felt warm inside his heart. To think there were so many people out there who cared about him. However, that warm feeling suddenly went away, replaced by a somewhat complicated emotion. 'Or are they here only to catch me? I do not wish to go back home, but I don't think anybody understands that…'
He closed his eyes as the wooden boat soared through the sky— towards the direction of Qing Shan City.