"Of course I know. The Continent of the Nine Clouds is one of the first worlds the Continent of the Gods developed. It's divided into nine regions. Each region has small worlds which are connected. Am I right?" Song Zhuang smiled, turning his head to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng nodded.
"The Continent of the Nine Clouds has Shrines which were created by members of the Continent of the Gods. But many of the Shrines' founders are gods and they stand aloof from worldly affairs. They kind of retired. That's why they're hard to find," said Song Zhuang. Lin Feng was truly surprised. The Continent of the Nine Clouds' Shrines had been created by gods from the Continent of the Gods? Maybe there were still more passages between both worlds!
Lin Feng recalled a hundred years ago when the Shrines had been destroyed. The Fortune Shrine had undergone a catastrophe. The Diviner had plotted and failed. The Fire Shrine and some others had joined hands to attack the Fortune Shrine.
In the end, the Fortune Shrine's Leader had died. Lin Feng still felt extremely sad because of that.
The Diviner had plotted against him, which made Lin Feng furious. He had considered the Diviner as a teacher, a father, and a member of his family… How sad…
"Lin Feng, do you know that some people from the Continent of the Gods are in the Continent of the Nine Clouds?" asked Song Zhuang with a frown.
Lin Feng nodded. Patriarch Zi Jian had told him about that. Maybe danger lurked in the Continent of the Nine Clouds. Therefore, Lin Feng hoped he would break through quickly to protect the Continent of the Nine Clouds.
"Thirty thousand years ago, after the battle of the ancient times, many strong cultivators disappeared without leaving a trace. Some of them died on Demon Corpses Hill. Some of them died in the Desiccation and Desolation Sea, some of them died in other places. Some of them disappeared because they fled to the Continent of the Nine Clouds," explained Song Zhuang.
"From what I know, there is a Sword Supreme Cultivator, a Beast Supreme Cultivator and a Female Supreme Cultivator who went to the Continent of the Nine Clouds?" Lin Feng frowned.
"Indeed. They were badly injured back then when they went to the Continent of the Nine Clouds. Of course, maybe some other strong cultivators went there, but nobody knows it," Song Zhuang added grimly.
Lin Feng nodded. There were probably other people, like Xue Baguio, the Supreme Cultivator. She had gone to the Continent of the Nine Clouds and after a long time had recovered her memories.
"Alright, let's change the topic. You dared to humiliate Di Shu today, eh?" said Song Zhuang, drinking and grinning.
Lin Feng smiled indifferently, "I didn't reveal anything."
"Indeed. And Di Shu threw the talisman at your feet. If you had taken it, you would have lost face as a Supreme Elder," said Song Zhuang, nodding and smiling broadly.
"But now, I have offended Di Shu. He will probably cause trouble in the future," replied Lin Feng, smiling coldly.
Song Zhuang nodded. He knew how Di Shu was. But as a Supreme Elder, it was right to do such things.
"There's competition in the Gods Sect, too," Lin Feng commented, taking a drink. He looked at a palace on the horizon, belonging to Di Shu.
Song Zhuang also gazed into the distance, and saw the top of a palace above the clouds. He smiled coolly. "If the Supreme Patriarch had been there, he wouldn't have dared act like that."
"You mean Fan Sheng Jun's teacher?" asked Lin Feng.
Song Zhuang shook his head and smiled, "He's not his teacher, he's his father. Fan Sheng Jun's father is called Fan Tian Gang. He's the strongest cultivator of the Gods Sect. He used to be a patriarch of the Gods Sect, but now he's a member of the Holy Shrine, a Sage."
"Sage? Isn't Sage the highest title in the Holy Shrines?" asked Lin Feng. The old ox's Master was a spiritual being, but what was his position in the hierarchy of the Shrines?
Song Zhuang laughed. "Of course it's not. The four Sages have privileges, though. Since you want to know more, I can tell you more. That way, when you become a holy cultivator and join the Holy Shrine, you won't lose face," Song Zhuang teased. He wasn't making fun of Lin Feng, he was just joking in a friendly way.
"Thank you, Brother Song Zhuang!" agreed Lin Feng, laughing and cupping his fist.
"Haha, good, good, hehe!" replied Song Zhuang, laughing and scratching his nose.
"In the Supranatural Region's Holy Shrine, there is a very specific hierarchy. From the highest ranks to the lower ranks, there are: the Shrine's Leader; the Godly Sons; five great Dhammapalas and four Sages; and holy cultivators. The Dhammapalas and the Sages' ranks are equivalent. You probably understand the holy cultivators' rank already, they are the four holy cultivators," said Song Zhuang.
Lin Feng wondered what Hu Mo and Master Ox's ranks were. They are at least Sages, he thought.
And what about the Dhammapalas? Lin Feng knew that Yuan Kui, the one who had killed Broken Soul Di, was one of the five Dhammapalas…
"Song Zhuang, do you consider me a friend?" asked Lin Feng with a frown. Song Zhuang's smile instantly disappeared.
"Lin Feng, I will tell you what my real social status is sooner or later. I am also from the Holy Shrine. My rank is not low. That's all I can tell you for now," said Song Zhuang. He knew what Lin Feng wanted to ask.
Lin Feng felt a little relieved. Master Ox hadn't told him to stay away from Song Zhuang, which proved he knew Song Zhuang.
"How strong are you?" asked Lin Feng.
Song Zhuang smiled and glanced at Di Shu's palace in the horizon. He said, "I am not weaker than Di Shu."
"..."