“Big Brother Yuheng—” Xuanyuan Muxue began, but Xuanyuan Yuheng immediately disrupted her.

“Deepstar Pool is an isolated space without any protection. Yi Xingyin will leave after leading you guys inside. At that time, you’ll be alone with him, and you can kill him. After that, just claim that he was trying to insult your modesty and you fought back because you were humiliated. Just pay attention to details and create some evidence. By that time, Li Tianming will already be dead, and no one can testify for him. You’re a woman and the eminent’s descendant. Even if he’s the eminent’s disciple, no one will sympathize with him!”

“Muxue, your appearance is one of the best in the sect, and it’s not surprising that Tianming will lust over you. On the other hand, you were smart enough to not compete with him in the Deepstar Battle, and even helped him. So no one will think you’re trying to frame him!” Xuanyuan Yuheng seemed excited as he grabbed Xuanyuan Muxue’s shoulders.

“Big Brother Yuheng, i-i-isn’t this a little too risky? I might be able to defeat him, but I won’t be able to kill him. He has three lifebound beasts, and one of them is extremely fast. As long as one of them escapes, won’t the plan be ruined?” Xuanyuan Muxue asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already made preparations. Since Fang Xingque’s eight star heavenly tome didn’t work, I’ll prepare a nine star one for you. I’ll go buy one, as long as you agree to my plan. There won’t be any witnesses anyway, so you can just say that you’re the one who killed him. Don’t worry about it. My purchasing channel is safe,” said Xuanyuan Yuheng excitedly.

When Xuanyuan Muxue heard those words, she looked at Xuanyuan Yuheng with her eyes wide. She gradually calmed down and looked away without giving him a reply.

“Muxue, why aren’t you talking? I’m offering you an opportunity to take revenge! You should know that this will be the only chance. If you miss this chance, I can only die with resentment,” urged Xuanyuan Yuheng.

“Big Brother Yuheng, you sound like you’re afraid of him. You’re still a lot stronger than him, and there’s no need for you to be afraid,” said Xuanyuan Muxue, biting her lip.

“I’m afraid of him? What nonsense are you talking about? I’m doing this for you!” Xuanyuan Yuheng argued.

“Don’t try fooling me. You’re afraid of him. You might regret pushing him. Either that or you’re afraid that the eminent might give him all her attention, and your future only lies in succeeding the Godservant Hall. You’ve never taken a rest in the past two decades, but you discovered that you’re just a servant and that’s all you’ll ever be. That’s the reason you’re jealous of Li Tianming becoming the eminent’s disciple. Big Brother Yuheng, you shouldn’t have visited the statue every day,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Shut your mouth!” Xuanyuan Yuheng roared with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m sharing my thoughts with you because I respect you. I fought him during the Deepstar Battle, and I can see his drastic improvements over a short period of time. I’d be a fool if I insist on standing against him, because I might become the next Fang Xingque. Big Brother Yuheng, perhaps you might not be used to the fact that there are other geniuses in the world, like Fang Xingque for example. Fang Xingque’s talent was much higher than yours. There’s many people of our caliber in the world, but there’s only one eminent and one Li Tianming. I can only give you my apology—there’s nothing I can do to help. I have to survive because I have to fight for my clan and calling, not twisted ideals. Big brother, take a step back and everything will be fine,” said Xuanyuan Muxue. She said that while staring into Xuanyuan Yuheng’s eyes.

“Big brother Yuheng, you have to accept reality. We were born with nobility, and we’re so much better than many people out there. So why can’t we be happy with what we have and accept the fact that there’s always someone out there that’s better than us? The discomfort in your heart is because you looked down on him right from the start. It’s your sense of superiority that’s messing with you. Please wake up. You need to have a humble heart to carry down this road. At least you’re stronger than him right now, and you can easily reconcile your relationship with an apology. He’s not an arrogant person, and he might be able to accept your apology. Jian Lingchen helped him a little and he repaid that with a spot in the Deepstar Pool. You can tell how he treats his friends from that alone,” said Xuanyuan Muxue. Xuanyuan Yuheng was already standing three meters away from her, staring at her with a grim smile.

“I hope you listen to what I said,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Haha, you’re cheap,” replied Xuanyuan Yuheng. “You make it sound all good, but Muxue, why don’t you say that before your big brother’s grave?”

“Don’t talk about my brother! Did you ever pay any regard to him? How many times did you insult him for being a piece of garbage? I know what I’m doing, and there’s no need for you to point your finger at me. I’ll give my big brother an explanation in the future, if I’m strong enough, but before that, please don’t try and get me to do your dirty work!” Xuanyuan Muxue snapped with her eyes turning red.

“Great! Great! You’ve grown up, and you know how to be cowardly now. Think carefully when you show how cheap you are before Li Tianming. Recall your surname! We’re the Archaic House of Xuanyuan, not servants of outsiders!” Xuanyuan Yuheng turned around and left.

The eminent wasn’t an outsider in his heart, but Li Tianming always would be. So how could an outsider possibly deserve such a high position? But Tianming’s position was given to him by the eminent, and that’s what troubled him the most. He was filled with reverence for the eminent from the time he looked at the statue at a young age, but he never expected that something like this would happen one day.

……

Two days later, the greenscale direwolf was still alive, despite being hit by the Imperial Sword Prison. Tianming couldn’t wait until the Imperial Sword Prison lost control, because Yi Xingyin had come.

“Have you rested?” Yi Xingyin asked.

“There’s no need for rest,” said Tianming.

“It won’t be easy cultivating the Ancient Deepstar Godbody in the Deepstar Pool. You need to be prepared for it,” said Yi Xingyin.

“It’s all prepared, Palace Lord.”

“Alright then, clean up. We’re leaving,” said Yi Xingyin. He threw a white emblem to Tianming and said, “This is your emblem as a Heaven Branch disciple. Starting from today, you’ll cultivate in the Heaven Branch. It’ll be more convenient for you. Your cultivation might not be in the Samsara stage, but everyone’s witnessed your strength.”

“Understood.” Tianming had nothing holding him back. He called out Lin Xiaoxiao and asked, “You’re a disciple of the Earth Branch now, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why are you still serving me here?”

“I’ll leave then.” Lin Xiaoxiao pouted.

“No need. I’m a Heaven Branch disciple now, and I can take five disciples from the Earth Branch as my maids. You’ll be leaving with me. Meanwhile, look for the other four on my behalf,” smiled Tianming.

“Look for them yourself.”

“So you’re agreeing to leave with me?”

“Why will I refuse the opportunity to cultivate in the Heaven Branch?” Lin Xiaoxiao replied.

“Let’s go then,” said Tianming.

“It looks like you’re addicted to your master-maid play. Young man, you really know how to have fun,” laughed Yi Xingyin.

“You’re misunderstanding.”

“Speaking of which, don’t you guys need some sort of uniform for this kind of play?” Yi Xingyin asked.

Tianming was left speechless by Yi Xingyin’s words.

“Haha! Why are you blushing? This is nothing. I have twelve wives myself,” said Yi Xingyin.

His words shocked Tianming once more. When Tianming raised his head to take a closer look at Yi Xingyin’s chiseled features, he was fully convinced.

……

This wasn’t Tianming’s first time in the Heaven Branch. But this time, he was moving there, and would probably stay until he was thirty. There weren’t many people in the Heaven Branch, only five hundred disciples. That meant that each disciple had plenty of space to themselves, and everyone had a spiritual energy spring in their residence.

Tianming named his residence in the Heaven Branch as the Number One Pavilion again. After he settled down, Yi Xingyin said, “Head to the Deepstar Pool now. Call Xuanyuan Muxue along.”

“How the hell should I know where she is?” Tianming asked.

“She’s right beside you!”

In just two months, Tianming had changed his residence three times. When he came to the residence next to him, he was too lazy to knock on the door and just called out to Xuanyuan Muxue. It didn’t take long for her to come out dressed in a fox fur coat.

“Palace Lord,” Xuanyuan Muxue greeted Yi Xingyin.

“Let’s go.” 

The Deepstar Pool was located in the Old Deepstar Path, so they were heading to the Old Deepstar Path’s entrance in the Heaven Branch.

“Your fame has been spreading these past two days. You’re pretty famous now,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“What’s the matter? You peeing your pants now?” Tianming asked.

“How vulgar!” Xuanyuan Muxue glared back at Tianming.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the Old Deepstar Path’s entrance. Heaven Branch’s disciples’ time wasn't limited in the Old Deepstar Path, and they were usually in there for ten-odd days.

The Astral Wills there came from predecessors in the Samsara stage, and every single one of them had been at least in the seventh level. That meant the Astral Will left behind by them was extremely helpful to the disciples.

“How fortunate that Heaven Branch disciples can cultivate in the Old Deepstar Path and Heaven Cauldron. Not to mention that each of them even have a spiritual energy spring to themselves. But that also means that only five hundred disciples under the age of thirty can cultivate here until they reach the Samsara stage.” Tianming only found out about the drastic difference between the divine realms and the dao palace after coming to the Archaion Divine Realm.

He also had a better view of why people had to fight for resources, and why divine realms had to wage war among themselves. Tianming heard that Taiji Peak Lake, where the Archaion Sect was located, used to belong to the Yinyang Demon Sect before being taken over by the Archaion Sect.

Xuanyuan Lake and Tribulation Peak only received their names after that.

“Aside from Xuanyuan Xi, the nine gods once led their own respective divine realms to sweep the world. That means that descendants of the divine realms had a break in their lineage, and were nearly exterminated. They only managed to survive because there hasn’t been another god born over the past hundred thousand years. People are used to the balance, and the other eight divine realms also don't want to destroy their development of the past hundred thousand years.”