A faint gust of wind blew over, and like a gentle hand, it caressed Ou Yangming's exposed skin and face.

It was a pleasant sensation, and it was potentially addicting.

Ou Yangming observed his surroundings. The world around him was unchanged, but when he spotted mankind's number one warrior, Wu Yuanwei who stood a few meters away from him, he realized that he looked much older than before.

His heart skipped a beat, and a flash of gratitude could be seen within his eyes.

Although he was unable to fully comprehend what had transpired, he could feel the advancement of his cultivation base in his bones. As such, he was certain that Wu Yuanwei had exacted a heavy toll so he could advance by leap and bounds.

The consensus was that once one had successfully advanced into the Yang Grade, they could take it slow with their cultivation, as sooner or later, they would reach the peak of the Yang Grade.

The only thing that was required for one to advance from Yang Grade Class One to Class Five was time, and due to this, it was much easier as compared to the advancement into the Extreme Grade.

However, that was not the case for individuals like Ou Yangming. Cultivation bottlenecks simply did not exist for these individuals, and as such, there would never be a situation where they had amassed enough essence but fail to advance.

Instead, what they fell behind on was the time that was required to advance past each class.

Due to this, Ou Yangming was sincerely grateful for Wu Yuanwei's assistance in helping him reach the peak.

He gave the elderly man before him a deep bow and said, "Thank you, senior."

Wu Yuanwei waved his hand lightly and responded, "Don't mention it."

Ou Yangming was slightly surprised.

Wu Yuanwei rubbed his brows, and with a weary expression, he explained, "You were so insistent in returning to Changlong County, and ever since Hanning's failed attempt in dissuading you back in the mountains, she's been begging for me to raise your cultivation base with the aid of the secret realm's energy, even though the opportunity was originally reserved for her." He heaved a long sigh before continuing, "The original plan was for Wu Hanning to utilize this energy to advance rapidly once she entered the Extreme Grade, but now, it's wasted on you instead."

Ou Yangming's expression changed slightly as he noted to himself, 'If this energy is capable of advancing a new-born Supreme Great Ancestor to the peak, then it is indeed a waste to spend it on me.'

Wu Yuanwei quietly observed Ou Yangming. Sometime later, he stated, "With your physique and mastery of mental power, it probably wouldn't pose you any trouble to advance immediately into the peak of the Extreme Grade. Alas, the further you advance, the more unaccustomed your body becomes, and if any of us were to let down our guard, the results might end up doing more harm than good. As such, I did not take the risk."

Ou Yangming hastily responded, "No words can describe how honored I am for this opportunity, senior."

Wu Yuanwei slowly stated, "You'd better take this opportunity to heart. Now that you've accessed the imperial family's secret realm to cultivate, you must always remember that your life is no longer yours alone, but to all of mankind. As such, when you head to Changlong County, always make your safety a priority."

Ou Yangming hesitated for a moment before croaking. "Okay."

Had Wu Yuanwei mentioned that his life belonged to the imperial family, Ou Yangming would probably have retaliated. However, since he had brought up Humanity itself, Ou Yangming could not bring himself to refute it, even though he was slightly put off by the statement.

Wu Yuanwei waved his hand and mentioned, "Channelling the secret realm's energy takes out a lot from me. I'll be resting for a while, so you'll need to travel to Changlong County alone. Remember, take good care of yourself."

Despite his lofty position, Wu Yuanwei had taken great effort to remind Ou Yangming to watch his back. From this, it was clear how much Ou Yangming had mattered to him.

Ou Yangming was not a man to spit on another's goodwill, and as such, he bowed out of gratitude before turning around to leave. However, just as he was about to step out of the secret realm, he heard Wu Yuanwei's vague voice. "Remember to treat that girl Hanning properly in the future!"

There was great fatigue to be found within his voice, and from the way he put it, it felt as if it was Wu Yuanwei's dying wish.

Ou Yangming shuddered. It was upon hearing those words that he realized how exhausting it was to channel the secret realm's energy. He refused his strong urge to look back, and without giving any acknowledgment to Wu Yuanwei, Ou Yangming toughened up himself and pushed open the door.

He feared that once he looked back, his determination would melt away and he would agree to Wu Yuanwei's request.

After all, there was only one person he held dear within his heart, and he could not hold any more than that.

Once he was certain that Ou Yangming was long gone, a major change occurred to Wu Yuanwei's aura.

His pale complexion and weary appearance vanished in an instant and it was replaced by the calm and powerful image he had when he first met Ou Yangming.

It was as if the channeling of the secret realm's energy had unfazed him.

A towering figure walked out from the depths of the secret realm and approached Wu Yuanwei. He respectfully stated, "You are amazing, Great Ancestor! The kid is stubborn, but he has a good heart. If we were to force him to follow our wishes, he would only grow to hate us. You have shown him kindness today, and coupled with Hanning's goodwill, the kid must be unbelievably grateful towards the imperial family now! He will never oppose us in the future!"

Wu Yuanwei chuckled and answered, "Indeed, Your Majesty."

The powerhouse who was hiding within the depths of the secret realm was the emperor, Wu Kangzhe. However, in the face of the nation's number one powerhouse, he had acted as meek as a lamb.

After some slight hesitation, Wu Kangzhe asked, "Great Ancestor, I have some questions that I hope you can shed some light on."

Wu Yuanwei calmly replied, "You want to know why I'm trying so hard to earn his favor, despite the damage done to the imperial family's dignity, right?"

"Indeed." Wu Kangzhe answered in a serious tone, "I'm completely lost."

Wu Yuanwei slowly replied, "I'll keep the answer to myself for now. Try to give it some thought."

Wu Kangzhe furrowed his brows and stated, "Although Ou Yanming possesses outstanding talent, and he might even be able to change the fate of mankind itself, in the end, he is but a single man, a patch of duckweed with no roots. Since he is of no use to us, why shouldn't we eliminate him?"

At this point, Wu Kangzhe's expression was oozing with bloodlust.

As the emperor of Humanity, Wu Kangzhe killed decisively, and his philosophy was beyond what an ordinary person would comprehend.

'If I cannot make use of him, then why should I still keep him alive? Am I waiting for him to overthrow me? Unless we kill him now, he will only bring more trouble in the future!"

That… was the true thoughts of the leader of Humanity.

Unfazed, Wu Yuan stated, "Continue."

"Alright." After giving it some more thought, Wu Kangzhe continued, "You usually don't involve yourself in worldly affairs, Great Ancestor. But this time, not only did you personally engage with Ou Yangming, you even resorted to acting!" He then raised his head and asked, "Don't tell me… Are you planning to do THAT?!"

Wu Yuanwei laughed out loud and replied, "Good job, kid. You really don't disappoint." He nodded happily before continuing, "Although what you speak is true, when I passed down the news of Ou Yangming's appearance to the upper realm, they reacted as if they had struck gold, and they ordered me to curry his favor at all costs."

"Why's this?" Wu Kangzhe exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Yuanwei replied in a deep but powerful voice, "Because Ou Yangming can forge interspatial bags in this realm. Even in the upper realm, those who can smith interspatial bags are extremely rare, and in our realm, hoho, there practically isn't anyone else who can successfully smith an interspatial bag aside from him. As such, they're extremely curious as to what kind of wonders Ou Yangming would bring if he were to enter the upper realm."

Wu Kangzhe flinched. He took some time to process Wu Yuanwei's words, and in the end, he responded, "… All because of this?"

Wu Yuanwei shook his head and answered, "That is the extent of the information they have provided me. However…" A slight pause later, he continued, "I have a vague feeling that they're planning something, and whatever they have in store is probably related to Ou Yangming in some way or another."

Wu Kangzhe's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "What are they preparing?!"

This time, Wu Yuanwei could only shake his head and chuckle bitterly at the emperor's question. "I do not know. Hoho, after all, how could we possibly comprehend the will of the upper beings?"

Wu Kangzhe lapsed into thought once more before blurting out, "Actually, Great Ancestor, no matter what order the upper realm gives, they'll still need to go through us, right? In that case, why don't…"

Halfway through the emperor's sentence, Wu Yuanwei suddenly turned around and glared at the emperor. His eyes glowed with blinding radiance, and for an instant, it was even brighter than the sun hanging in the sky.

Like glass shattered by a boulder, Wu Kangzhe felt crushed, and with a groan, he subconsciously backed off in a panic.

Hastily, Wu Kangzhe kowtowed and begged, "I beg of you, Great Ancestor, please cease your anger. Forgive this little one for his impudence!"

The terrifying aura that Wu Yuanwei had exuded gradually subsided, and before long, he had returned to normal. He then stared down at Wu Kangzhe and chided, "As the leader of mankind, it is your right to oversee the actions of Humanity as a whole. As such, I will not go against you so long as your decisions are related to humanity. However, never forget where our roots are!"

Wu Kangzhe gulped. "Noted! This little one shall take it to heart!"

Wu Yuanwei scrutinized the emperor, and with a sigh, he commented, "Well, I guess it's to be expected. After all, you've never faced the upper realm's might before. But never forget, while it is true that the upper realm is unable to directly intervene with our realm, they have terrifying means of their own to deal with us, and if we were to go against their orders… Disaster will ensue."

Wu Yuanwei then grabbed Wu Kangzhe's shoulder. "I had originally planned to take you up there in the next decade, but now, I think I'll need to bring the schedule forward."

Wu Kangzhe froze. In a surprised tone, he asked, "W-Where are you bringing me, Great Ancestor?"

Wu Yuanwei nodded and replied, "Even after all these generations within the Wu Family, I have never stepped foot into the upper realm. Ever since I've learned of the upper realm, I've realized how small our family is, and as a result, my arrogance has been curbed. However, seeing as your arrogance is starting to overflow, I fear that you might end up becoming the black sheep of the Wu Family and bring about the end of Humanity as we know it."

With a flick of his wrist, the two vanished into thin air.

Half-a-day later, the air shimmered, and the two popped back into reality.

The difference, however, was that Wu Kangzhe had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes were flitting around with terror that was uncharacteristic of him.

Wu Yuanwei sighed. He was not surprised by the emperor's reaction.

Instead, he looked up into the sky and mused to himself.

'Why do they think so highly of Ou Yangming?'