Not long after Han Sen returned to Little Jade Island, Thousand Feather Crane and the Yun sisters came to visit.
Han Sen frowned. For his safety, the Sky Palace leader had ordered the Sky Palace students not to approach Little Jade Island. If Thousand Feather Crane and the others had come to Little Jade Island at a time like this, that meant they had been ordered to do so.
As expected, they brought good news and bad news.
The good news was that Phyllostachys Longipes was fine. He would be released soon. The bad news was that Exquisite of the Very High had taken a liking to Han Sen. So, Phyllostachys Longipes didn't need to go to the Very High, but Han Sen had to follow Exquisite to the Very High.
Yun Sushang said, "The leader wants us to tell you that if you don't want to go to the Very High, we will find a way to make you stay. You don't have to force yourself. It is up to you whether you want to go or not."
When Han Sen heard that, he felt better. He didn't want to go to the Very High. He had too many secrets, and he couldn't allow Exquisite to spy on him. He was more afraid of having his secrets revealed than Phyllostachys Longipes.
"The leader wants you to go to him. There must be something he wants to talk to you about," Thousand Feather Crane said.
Han Sen nodded. He followed Thousand Feather Crane and the others to where the leader lived. This time, the leader didn't meet him in the hall. Instead, they met in the garden.
Thousand Feather Crane and the Yun sisters were at the door. Without the leader's permission, they couldn't go in. Han Sen went to the garden alone. He saw the leader sitting in a pavilion with a pot of tea in his hand. He was drinking tea and looking at the lotus pond outside.
"Sit," Sky Palace Leader said. "This is not a meeting room, and I am not here as the leader of Sky Palace. You are Yisha's student, and I am her teacher. I am your elder. We can talk for a bit." Sky Palace Leader pointed to a chair.
Han Sen didn't mind. He sat down and asked, "Did you ask me to come here to talk about the Very High?"
Sky Palace Leader did not deny it. He nodded.
"Do you want me to go, or do you not want me to go?" Han Sen asked.
Sky Palace Leader didn't answer directly. He took a sip of his tea and said, "We have an agreement with the Very High. If they want someone, we can't refuse them. We have to serve them for four years.
Over the years, many of Sky Palace's best students have been taken to the Very High. Most of them have returned safely, and they have received many benefits. They have all become deified. But if I had a choice, I wouldn't allow any of my students to go to the Very High. "
After pausing, Sky Palace Leader went on to say, "I believe you have heard about the Very High from Phyllostachys Longipes. I won't lie to you. Because so many students have gone to the Very High to practice, Sky Palace is no longer a secret to the Very High. Even the Textless Book is known to the Very High."
"If that's the case, why don't you find a way to refuse them?"
Han Sen knew Sky Palace Leader had a reason, but he still asked anyway. He wanted to know what that reason was.
Sky Palace Leader sighed and said, "Haven't you noticed that the Sky and the Very High look very similar?"
"You mean …" Han Sen's heart jumped. He seemed to understand something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Sky Palace Leader said, "The Sky and the Very High used to be the same race in ancient times. Because of a pair of brothers who had different ideas, they split into the Sky and the Very High. The Textless Book and the Very High Sense came from the same source."
Han Sen's mouth dropped open in shock. He had thought Li Keer and Exquisite were one of the Sky. He had thought the Very High had a special skill that allowed them to change their appearance, just like the Foxes.
Now he knew Li Keer and Exquisite really were one of the Sky.
Sky Palace Leader went on to say, "Because they were born with the power of three eyes, and their bodies were very strong, the Very High were able to travel through space in ancient times. Although they weren't as strong as they are now, back then, they weren't as strong as they are now."
"But the Very High's fertility is very poor. Their ability to reproduce is very weak, and the race has never been able to expand. When they were at their peak, there were only a few hundred Very High. It wasn't until one of the triplets was born that the Very High began to change.
The triplets were very talented, and they quickly became the pillars of the Very High.
The eldest brother became the leader of the Very High, and the second and third brothers became elders.
The three brothers worked together to conquer a large area of space for the Very High.
The Very High were very famous, and they became the overlords of that part of the universe.
They ruled a large area of the system.
"
"But the Very High's low fertility was still a problem. Although they conquered many systems, there were only two or three hundred of them. They couldn't even rule a few systems, let alone the entire universe.
Because of that, the three brothers had different opinions. "
"The second of the three brothers wanted to mix with other races to increase the Very High's fertility. The eldest brother wanted to keep the Very High's blood pure. The third brother was neutral, and he believed both were acceptable.
The three of them were very talented, and they couldn't convince each other. The third brother was fine, but the eldest and second brother's ideas were in conflict. "
"The second brother wasn't the leader, so he couldn't achieve his goals. He took some of his people and left. He created the Sky, which has been around ever since. That is how Sky Palace came to be.
The mixing increased the Sky's fertility, but because of the mixing, the Sky's genes weren't as stable.
Their gene talents fluctuated a lot.
After so many years of mixing, most of the Sky's gene talents weren't as good as those of the pure-blood Very High.
But sometimes, a Sky with strong genes appeared.
Their gene talents were even better than those of the pure-blood Very High.
"
After saying that, Sky Palace Leader sighed. "But we are still from the Very High. Our blood ties are still there. When the Sky were in danger, the Very High helped us. So, the Sky's leader signed an agreement with the Very High. We couldn't break it.
The Very High helped the Sky get to where they are today, so we should give them something in return. Plus, it isn't a bad thing. "
"Are you saying that you want me to go to the Very High?" Han Sen asked quietly.
Sky Palace Leader shook his head. "It is up to you whether you want to go or not. I am just telling you what's at stake. If you go, I promise you that you will be safe. As long as I am here, if you don't commit murder in the Very High, I will cover for you. You don't have to worry about that.
Plus, the Very High have a treasure that can help heal your wounds. If you go there, you can save yourself two or three years of recovery. You can be healed in a short amount of time.
Of course, if you don't want to go, that is a good thing for Sky Palace. You can stay here, and I will deal with the Very High. "
Han Sen was touched, but he knew that Sky Palace Leader wanted him to go. But Han Sen had his own difficulties. He couldn't let other races know about his secrets. Otherwise, the sanctuaries and humans would be destroyed.