It didn’t take long for the sound of conversation and laughter to fill the main hall once again. However, suspicions now filled the hearts of all the Dao Realm experts, even though it didn’t show on their faces.
Fang Shoudao and the others reappeared within a hidden chamber in the Fang Clan. Meng Hao’s eyes narrowed, and his heart filled with misgivings. He immediately stepped back a few paces.
“Fellow Daoists,” said Fang Shoudao, “please explain why we need to use this private chamber!” Fang Shoudao might be an old fox and he might have conned Meng Hao, but as he stepped forward, he placed himself very close to Meng Hao. If anything untoward happened, he would go all out with his cultivation base to make sure Meng Hao stayed safe.
Despite the previous con, everything he had said was actually true. Meng Hao really was as important to the Fang Clan as a Dao Realm expert. Furthermore, appointing Meng Hao to be the Crown Prince had not been a joke. He really and truly did have that status in the clan.
Seeing Fang Shoudao act in this way finally caused Meng Hao to have the feeling that the man really was the clan’s Earth Patriarch.
“Elder Brother Fang, this is our first time seeing Meng Hao in person,” said the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. “On previous occasions, we only saw him on illusory screens, and could not feel… the ripples which are emanating off of him!” The old man looked excited, and breathed heavily when he looked at Meng Hao. The old woman from the Nine Seas God World and the middle-aged cultivator from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto looked equally moved.
Fang Shoudao frowned, taking a few more steps forward to stand directly next to Meng Hao, whereupon he stared coldly at the other three.
“For Hao’er to reach this point means he definitely has his destiny. He is the Crown Prince of the Fang Clan, and if anybody tries to steal his destiny, that person will be crossing the line and provoking the Fang Clan’s wrath!” Fang Shoudao’s expression was extremely serious, and his tone was icy.
Meng Hao stood behind him, staring in shock. All of a sudden, he came to the realization that the true use of being the Crown Prince was a sort of protection. His rise to true Immortality had attracted the attention of the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, and now that he was the Crown Prince, anyone who harbored untoward thoughts would definitely be stricken with fear.
Meng Hao could sense the care and concern of the Senior generation of the clan, and his heart softened quite a bit. It even caused his perception of Fang Shoudao as a wily fox to lessen quite a bit.
“Elder Brother Fang, you misunderstand,” said the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, looking over at Meng Hao.
“Meng Hao, back when you disappeared into the Ruins of Immortality, did you by any chance… encounter a white-robed woman?” It was impossible for the old man to conceal the nervousness in his voice as he asked his question. The old woman and the middle-aged cultivator wore equally nervous expressions.
Meng Hao gaped. After a long moment of silence, he slowly nodded his head in response.
“I knew it!” exclaimed the old man, sounded very excited. Strange gleams appeared in the eyes of the old woman and the middle-aged cultivator. The old man took a deep breath and then made a clutching motion, causing a chunk of black stone to appear in his hand.
At the same time, the old woman and the middle-aged cultivator produced similar stones. All three of the rocks emanated mysterious glows as they flew together to form a large stone slab, which hovered in midair.
“Child, place your hand onto that black stone slab,” said the old man, sounding very excited. “Don’t worry, the three of us don’t harbor any ill intentions toward you.” He looked at Meng Hao with anticipation.
Fang Shoudao frowned. The Three Great Daoist Societies were acting very strange as far as he was concerned, and he was just about to intervene when Meng Hao’s eyes glittered. As for Meng Hao, he had long since speculated that the white-robed woman was somehow connected to the Three Great Daoist Societies.
Instead of placing his hand onto the stone slab, he asked, “That white-robed woman… who is she?”
“Long ago, our world did not consist of only nine mountains and nine seas,” responded the old woman from the Nine Seas God World, her voice soft. “During that era, that white-robed woman was one of three supreme Paragons!”
Meng Hao’s mind trembled, and he didn’t respond. Finally, he lifted his right hand and calmly placed it onto the stone slab. He was already aware of exactly what these three people were hoping to see.
Blinding light emanated out as soon as his hand made contact with the stone slab. When the light touched Meng Hao, an ancient magical symbol suddenly appeared on his forehead.
That magical symbol was actually a number!
The number… 13!
13th in the Echelon!
When the old man from the Immortal