Yi Yun originally had the impression that his greatest enemy on the storming of the Seven Star Dao Palace would be the Seven Star Dao Palace's palatial lord. Be it the siege of the Clarity Pool Sword Sect or the expedition to the Sun Burial Sandsea, only the deputy palatial lords had appeared. The palatial lord continued to remain a mystery.

Yi Yun did not know what the cultivation level of the palatial lord was but he was confident that even if he was temporarily not the palatial lord's match, he was able to inflict a serious blow on the Seven Star Dao Palace before retreating safely.

However, the sudden appearance of the elder and the words he said left Yi Yun extremely surprised.

The elder sighed and said, "Sigh…the survival of the Seven Star Dao Palace…On this matter, I do need to do something about it."

Suddenly, the elder vanished from where he stood, immediately making Yi Yun feel wary.

Whew!

The elder's figure abruptly appeared in front of Yi Yun. He struck out with his palm and an immense and terrifying Yuan Qi enveloped Yi Yun completely as if a mountain was crashing down on him.

So powerful!

The broken sword in Yi Yun's hand hummed as sword beams rose up, stabbing straight at the palm!

The clash between the two even caused the surrounding sea of clouds to disperse completely!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The elder and Yi Yun retreated several steps simultaneously!

The elder was very strong.

He had managed to withstand Yi Yun's strike just with his palm.

"Again!"

Yi Yun's eyes were burning with fighting spirit. The Three-foot Passage Sword, Sword of Time slashed out!

The Sword of Time that fused Space-Time laws and Pure Yang laws was like a flowing stream of water but as intense as a burning inferno. It seemed to lunge at the elder as if it came from an ancient era.

The elder's eyes remained as still as water in the face of the attack. A long saber suddenly appeared in his hand in response. It was as heavy as a mountain as it sliced down at the sword beam ruthlessly.

Boom!

The surrounding ground immediately ruptured into countless spider web-like cracks.

Yi Yun felt extreme pain in his wrist and his skin felt like they had been pricked by saber-like Yuan Qi aftershocks.

The elder did not have it easy either. Yi Yun's sword was extremely sharp and his stance grew as he fought. Each strike was stronger than the last.

The sword beams and saber flashes interleaved one another as thunderous blasts caused the immortal mountain beneath their feet to constantly rumble.

"Yi Yun is fighting someone!" At that moment, Jian Wufeng and company had arrived. From afar, they could see the constant clashes of Yuan Qi and the astounding sonic booms.

The only person that could fight Yi Yun in such a manner was probably the Seven Star Dao Palace's palatial lord.

As for the palatial lord, he was a mystery which Jian Wufeng and company had never seen before.

"Indeed, there are no limits to the younger generation. I dare not believe that you are a junior." As the elder spoke, he suddenly retreated a thousand feet backward and stored his saber into his interspatial ring.

Yi Yun was surprised. What was the elder doing? Was he not going to continue fighting?

Their duel had not determined a true victor yet.

However, if they had to continue fighting, Yi Yun felt that he was inferior to the elder. After all, his cultivation level was lacking.

Although his nomological insight was outstanding, he could still be disadvantaged if he did not catch the enemy unaware. When the time came, all he could do was retreat.

The elder sized up Yi Yun and said, "It's no wonder you caused such a huge stir, made Liu Ruyi fear you so greatly, and managed to obtain the Sun Burial Sandsea's opportunity."

"You asked me if I cared for the Seven Star Dao Palace…Indeed, I don't care too much for it. I doubted your prowess as a junior so I wanted to spar with you. Now that we have fought…"

"Oh?" Yi Yun was surprised. The palatial lord spoke too casually. If someone wasn't aware of the details, they would think that the elder had seen a junior from his sect and simply wanted to give him some advice.

There was actually such a sect master that did not care for his sect's survival?

"You don't have to find it odd." The elder read Yi Yun's thoughts. "When I was young, I was once labeled as an extraordinary genius. I was dedicated to the pursuit of the peak of martial arts. At a young age, I had become the successor to the Seven Star Dao Palace's palatial lord and had a limitless future."

"The Seven Star Dao Palace has never been an orthodox sect. From the establishment of the Seven Star Dao Palace, this sect reeked with blood. I did not wish to become the Seven Star Dao Palace's palatial lord and I was also dissatisfied with a small place like the Central State Divine Territory. I wasn't even satisfied with the Yang God Empyrean Heaven. At the age of hundred, I left the Central State Divine Territory and went on experiential training for a millennium. Finally, I entered the expert-filled Sinkhole and had once established myself there. However…"

When the elder said this, he sighed. "When I was on the crest of success, I had accompanied hundreds of experts to a mystic realm in the Sinkhole in search of opportunities to make a further breakthrough. But I encountered a terrifying danger. Nearly all the hundreds of experts with me had perished. Although I managed to return, my Dao Palace was shattered, causing my cultivation to be crippled…"

As the elder spoke, he gradually shook his head. Yi Yun was stumped. Had his cultivation been crippled? How tremendous a blow was this to a warrior?

"From that moment on, I was destined to mediocrity. After so many years, my strength has recovered to its present state. I returned to the Seven Star Dao Palace, becoming its palatial lord…"

"Certain things are destined. The Seven Star Dao Palace has its fate and I became sick of the mundanity of the world. I gradually reclused myself in the back mountain while the four deputy palatial lords vied for power as they ran the Seven Star Dao Palace together. On this trip to the Sun Burial Sandsea, I had expected its outcome. Even without you, if the true Yang spirit were to appear and obtained by the four of them, there was bound to be a life-and-death battle among the four."

"And the ultimate victor probably hoped to refine the Yang spirit and return to kill me after having a tremendous improvement in strength, becoming the Seven Star Dao Palace's palatial lord…"

The elder slowly mentioned his thoughts, confounding Yi Yun. This elder was so aware of everything yet he did nothing nor attempt to stop them?

"Right or wrong, success or failure may be gone with a turn of the head. There is nothing in this world that lasts forever. It is the same for the Seven Star Dao Palace. I have seen glory in the past and no longer care for the present struggles. Just like how Azure Yang Lord had established the Grand Qian Empire but the only thing left is a remnant vestige in the form of the Clarity Pool Sword Sect, as well as the minute aura in your sword. A divine empire that had once flourished but what of it now?"

Yi Yun was surprised. The elder actually knew so many things of the past. He even knew about Azure Yang Lord.

The Clarity Pool Sword Sect was considered a reclusive sect in the Central State Divine Territory. Their relationship with the Azure Yang Lord was something few people knew.

"Senior, you mentioned that the Great Qian Empire is gone. I would like to ask if you know about Bai Yueyin? She was formerly the Azure Yang Lord's wife. She had harmed him and finally took control of the Grand Qian Empire." Yi Yun's tone turned a lot more respectful in his questions.

Bai Yueyin was extremely talented and was once Azure Yang Lord's love. They had controlled the divine empire together and were called the sacred emperor and sacred empress.

Eventually, Bai Yueyin had betrayed Azure Yang Lord.

She had harmed Azure Yang Lord before his battle with Sha Hongxue from the Fey race for the title of Divine Lord. She left with a rusty sword tip that Azure Yang Lord had brought back from the Sinkhole, causing Azure Yang Lord to suffer an abject defeat under Sha Hongxue's hands. He lost his title as Divine Lord and fell into mediocrity, eventually reaching the Tian Yuan world.

Later on, he met the ancient Great Empress in the Tian Yuan world, gradually restoring his strength. He created the Great Empress mystic realm and left the God Advent Tower behind which eventually came into Yi Yun's hands.

It also meant that Bai Yueyin had a sword tip in her hands. And that sword tip…

Yi Yun clenched the pure Yang broken sword tightly. He knew that the sword tip belonged to the other half of the pure Yang broken sword.

However, after so many years, with Bai Yueyin's terrifying martial talent, her strength was probably unfathomable.

Yi Yun had no intention of immediately obtaining the sword tip from her hands. He was only curious about the reason why despite betraying Azure Yang Lord, she had allowed the Clarity Pool Sword Sect to continue surviving in the Central State Divine Territory.

"Bai Yueyin?" The elder shook his head. "I do not know of this person. However, the successor of the Grand Qian Empire later uprooted the faction entirely and left the Central State Divine Territory to head for the Sinkhole."

Headed for the Sinkhole?

Yi Yun frowned. Even Azure Yang Lord did not know why Bai Yueyin had betrayed him. However, why did she give up the divine empire's massive territory…?

Bai Yueyin was shrouded in mystery. Since she had left the Central State Divine Territory, it was understandable how the Clarity Pool Sword Sect had managed to survive.

"Senior, you have been in the Sinkhole before. Do you know which part of the Sinkhole the Grand Qian Empire is in?" Yi Yun wanted to know where the other half of the sword tip had been brought to. Furthermore, he had acquired Azure Yang Lord's heritage. He was bent on avenging Azure Yang Lord's near-death experience after being betrayed by her and losing everything.

The elder suddenly said with a laugh, "My sect has been wiped out by you, yet here you are, asking me so many questions. That's a little overboard. Now, with everything settled, and you have fought me. It's time for you to leave. Now that there's only me here, I will finally be able to have some peace and quiet."

With that said, the elder did not stay a moment longer. He turned and walked into the palace.

"Gong!"

The palace's door closed, leaving Yi Yun standing in the square and staring at the tightly-closed door.

The elder was like an ancient well. He was tranquil but with a glorious past. Yi Yun shook his head. Since the elder was unwilling to answer his questions, he would not receive an answer even if he forced one.

"The Myriad Divine Territory is a place where exchanges happen. Perhaps, I'll be able to obtain some information there." Yi Yun thought to himself.