Chapter 1750: Dantai Lan's Secret

"Mother's secret?!"

Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge both looked somewhat stunned, and then a strong color of curiosity surged in their eyes. After all, there had always been a hint of mystery about Dantai Lan.

In Outer Shenzhou, in Li Taixuan's generation, the top prodigies of every Heavenly King-level faction were all suppressed by a woman no one had ever heard of. Countless prodigies were won over by her, and among them was Li Taixuan himself, a brilliant figure who dominated his peers.

Yet this woman had no illustrious background whatsoever—she was purely a loose cultivator.

That, in particular, was absurd.

After all, even Li Luo, though he too had dominated the younger generation of Outer Shenzhou and become an outstanding figure of his era, at least had the backing of the Li Li Tianwang bloodline. The top-tier cultivation resources available there had given him tremendous assistance—things ordinary loose cultivators could hardly access.

This was undeniable, and Li Luo would not deny it.

Only in idle moments did he sometimes sigh with regret. What a pity—he would never get to experience the hardships of a loose cultivator in this life; otherwise he could have used that to prove that his dazzling, world-shocking talent was all his own.

But there was nothing for it—one couldn't go looking for hardship where there was none.

A regret!

Yet Dantai Lan back then had truly appeared out of nowhere. With the identity of a loose cultivator, she had overwhelmed the prodigies of numerous Heavenly King bloodlines and drawn the attention of every faction.

That was why Li Luo had always felt his old mother was really quite something. No wonder his father, for her sake, had been willing to refuse the marriage alliance with the Qin Li Tianwang bloodline.

And now, from what Li Taixuan was saying, it seemed the secret of Dantai Lan's rise was hidden in the deepest part of this Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven.

Li Taixuan looked at their curious gazes and smiled. "Let's go."

"If any of you are interested, you may follow as well." This remark was directed at Qi Huang and the others.

Qi Huang pondered briefly, then nodded. "Then I'll accompany you. The situation there is unclear, and if any problems arise I can lend a hand."

Of course, more importantly, he too needed to know the secrets of the deepest part of Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven, so that when Jiang Li Tianwang and the others returned, he could inform them.

"Lord Taixuan, may this old man go as well? This Golden Peng feather seems to be an ancestral relic of my Golden-Winged Great Peng clan. I wish to know whether it has any connection to my Golden-Winged Great Peng clan." The speaker was that golden-winged elder, who cupped his hands and said courteously.

Li Taixuan naturally nodded his assent.

Then, after a few brief arrangements, the group, under the gaze of many eyes, transformed into streams of light and headed toward the shattered Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven above the Tianxing Great Plains.

Because the "Withering-Flourishing Aspect" had already been taken, the vast withering-flourishing power at the grotto-heaven's gate was now gone, and even the world's energy had calmed. At this moment, Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven seemed to have returned to its former ordinariness.

The group entered it unimpeded.

The realm suppression that had once existed in Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven had also vanished amid this upheaval.

Some familiar sensations entered Li Luo's eyes, leaving him slightly dazed, because this place had once been where he trained.

He still remembered the herb hut deep within Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven at that time, where there had been a white ape pounding medicine.

But looking at it now, the Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven he had seen back then was merely a corner of this grotto-heaven. At that time, he had not discovered at all that hidden in its depths was a supreme divine object like the "Withering-Flourishing Aspect."

And as memories stirred in the depths of Li Luo's mind, the Golden Peng feather in Li Taixuan's hand suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light. The golden light blazed forth, seemingly forming a golden avenue.

The golden avenue pierced through space, as if breaking through a layer of mysterious obstruction, and plunged into the deepest part of Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven.

At the end of the golden light, mists drifted, and a great mountain exuding ancient charm could faintly be seen, appearing and disappearing.

When the great mountain appeared, a voice actually rang out from within it, vast and mighty, falling into everyone's ears.

"Guests have come from afar. Please, come inside."

Hearing this voice, Li Taixuan, Li Luo, Jiang Jiang Qinge, and the others were all shaken to the core. There were actually living people in the deepest part of Lingxiang Grotto-Heaven?!

They exchanged glances and saw the doubt and suspicion in each other's eyes.

But in the end, Li Taixuan did not hesitate much. He stepped onto the golden avenue first and walked toward its end, because he trusted Dantai Lan. Since she had told him to come here, there surely would be no danger.

Li Luo, Jiang Jiang Qinge, Qi Huang, and the golden-winged elder quickly followed.

The group entered along the golden avenue and finally reached its end, passing into that mysterious layer of space. There, amid the vast sea of clouds, stood a great mountain of ancient charm.

Their figures followed the golden light down toward the mountain's peak.

As they drew closer, they finally noticed that among the forest sea at the mountain's peak there was a courtyard of classical elegance. Before the courtyard, two figures now stood, watching this group of outsiders.

They were a man and a woman.

The man appeared middle-aged, wore golden robes, his frame upright as a pine. His expression was exceedingly stern, and his eyes were filled with the weathering of countless years.

The woman, meanwhile, had a stunningly beautiful face, wore red palace attire, and had a graceful, enchanting figure.

The two merely stood there, yet Li Taixuan, Qi Huang, and the others could feel two terrifyingly oppressive auras emanating from them, faintly but unmistakably, causing this very heaven and earth to tremble.

These were two Heavenly Kings!

Moreover, two Divine-Fruit Heavenly Kings on par with Jiang Li Tianwang!

Qi Huang's heart churned with monstrous waves. He knew all too well what two Divine-Fruit Heavenly Kings represented in terms of power. If the Ten Outer Shenzhou could gain these two peak combatants, they would have a little more assurance in their fight against the Dark World.

And as everyone reeled in shock, the beautiful woman in red palace attire looked at them with some anticipation and asked, "Where is Xiao Lan? Hasn't she come?"

Xiao Lan? She must be referring to Dantai Lan, right?

Everyone looked at Li Taixuan, and Li Taixuan quickly stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said respectfully, "Two seniors, this junior is Li Taixuan, A-Lan's husband. This is my son Li Luo, and my daughter-in-law Jiang Jiang Qinge. As for A-Lan, she is still on the Wang Hou battlefield and cannot get away."

The beautiful woman in palace attire was somewhat surprised, then chuckled softly. "I didn't expect Xiao Lan to already be married with children. But counting the time, I suppose it's about right."

She sized up Li Taixuan, nodded, and smiled. "You're worthy of that girl."

Then the beautiful woman in palace attire looked at the group, who were reserved yet hiding their doubts, and chuckled. "I imagine you have many questions. This lady's name is Su Ying, and this is my husband, Yan Changsheng."

"As for our identities, why don't you guess?" The beautiful woman in palace attire tilted her head slightly, a hint of mischief showing—rather at odds with her status as a senior.

Li Luo tentatively asked, "The two seniors... should be the Six Sons of the Formless Saint Sect, right?"

"Worthy of being Xiao Lan's child—so clever." The beautiful woman named Su Ying covered her mouth and laughed prettily.

The others could not help but be somewhat astonished. The fame of the Six Sons of the Formless Saint Sect naturally thundered in their ears; after all, the previously mentioned Wang Taixi and the Pill Saint had both been extraordinary figures.

What puzzled them, however, was that whether it was Wang Taixi or the Pill Saint, neither had been able to maintain their former peak condition through the long ages. Yet the two before them, in both form and bearing, seemed to have been preserved remarkably well.

What a staggering feat was this?

After all, even a Divine-Fruit Heavenly King, by all reason, could not resist the erosion of such vast stretches of time.

At this moment, the golden-winged elder suddenly dropped to his knees with a thump. His aged face was full of agitation as he kowtowed to the man in golden robes. "This junior, Jin Chida, pays respects to the Ancestor!"

With the name "Yan Changsheng" spoken, the golden-winged elder finally recalled what was recorded in the ancient texts of his clan. In that distant era when the Formless Saint Sect had reigned supreme, their Golden-Winged Great Peng clan had produced an ancestor—this very ancestor had been the legendary sect master's right-hand man, following him on campaigns and earning illustrious renown.

The middle-aged man in golden robes looked at the golden-winged elder, his stern expression softening somewhat, and said, "Within the clan now, is there still a Divine Fruit Heavenly King?"

The golden-winged elder faltered, then said with shame, "The clan has only two Heavenly Kings, but none of them has been able to reach the realm the Ancestor once attained."

Only now did the others realize that this middle-aged man named "Yan Changsheng" was actually a Golden-Winged Roc in his true form, and those golden feathers from earlier must have come from him.

Li Luo, however, at this moment asked the curiosity in his heart.

"May I ask what relationship the two seniors have with my mother?"