"Sect Leader Thunderzen?" John's words echoed within the chamber as he spotted Thunderzen sitting on the throne.
A smile appeared on Thunderzen's face as he saw John's reaction, although it was not an unexpected one.
"It's been a while since we last saw each other John," Thunderzen replied with a warm smile and amiable tone.
John's gaze shifted from Thunderzen, to the area next to the throne. Standing on both sides of the throne were several other people, some which John recognized and some which he didn't.
The first person he recognized was his master, Lilian, who stood to the right of Thunderzen's throne. Her expression was neutral as she stared at John, although she could tell from John's gaze that he sought answers.
Lilian shrugged her shoulders slightly at John's gaze, and he suddenly heard a sound transmission from her appear in his mind.
"Don't ask me. I arrived here just moments ago and I'm as equally confused as you are. I'm sure we'll find out the truth in a moment."
John raised an eyebrow at the words of his master, as he had never seen her not know what was going on. However, it appeared that Thunderzen had kept secrets even she didn't know about, despite the fact that she was his adopted daughter.
'I'm sure he has a good reason for keeping such secrets,' John mused as he walked through the chamber and arrived ten yards from the throne. His gaze shifted towards the person standing next to his master, which was the Grand Elder.
Each arm was resting in the sleeve of the opposite arm, while his expression was calm and relaxed. His dull colored robes stood out from the rest, who all wore flashier and more luxurious robes.
John smiled at the Grand Elder, who nodded his head back slightly in greetings. After greeting the Grand Elder, John's gaze shifted to the left of Thunderzen's throne, where an intimidating man was standing. The man appeared to be in his fifties, and his grizzled face was lined with a large unkempt beard, making him look even more wild.
His robes were sleeveless, which revealed his powerful arm muscles, more akin to a body cultivator than an essence cultivator. If John couldn't feel the thick lightning aura coming from the man's body, he would have assumed he was a body cultivator based on how he looked.
The man's power was incredible, and John could tell that he was much stronger than his master. In fact, his strength seemed to be a rival for Thunderzen's. However, on his exposed arms, John could see the very faint traces of scars and burnt flesh.
Although it was mostly healed and was barely noticeable, John was able to spot it. Clearly the man had been in a fight recently, and had taken a bit of damage. His mood seemed to be a bit sour, and his heated gaze stared intently at John, although John was almost certain that was how the man looked all the time.
Standing next to the grizzled man was a woman, who appeared to be in her thirties. Her brown hair was tied neatly behind her head, making her look quite reserved. Her face was very attractive, and her figure slender in the right places and thick in the right places.
John's gaze lingered on her for a moment before shifting to her robes, which were covered in incredible detailed formation runes. It was unlike any robes he had ever seen, and John could tell there was more than met the eye regarding this woman.
After inspecting everyone in the chamber, John's gaze shifted back to Thunderzen, who sat on the throne with a relaxed posture, as if it were natural to sit on the throne. As was similar with the other throne on the Yuan Continent, lightning which was somehow mostly silent continuously snaked over the throne and Thunderzen, who ignored it as he gazed at John.
"I'm sure you have many questions," Thunderzen suddenly spoke up as he gazed at John, and also shifted his gaze towards Lilian who was equally confused.
John nodded his head in confirmation, and couldn't help but speak up.
"Very confused. Just what is going on?" John asked.
When he had travelled with the other disciples to the Divine Martial Continent, they had been escorted by his master. Thunderzen decided to stay behind to take care of other things, and instead encouraged his daughter to escort the journey this time around.
However, John found Thunderzen sitting before him, on the throne of the main Heavenly Lightning Sect no less.
"Are you...the Sect Leader of the true Heavenly Lightning Sect?" John asked.
"I was, and now I am again," Thunderzen replied with a smile on his face.
"Grrmph," the grizzled man crossed his arms across his chest and snorted in an unhappy manner, clearly displeased by Thunderzen's words.
Thunderzen glanced at the man for a moment before glancing back at John.
"When were you going to inform me of this…news?" Lilian suddenly asked, slight displeasure in her voice.
Thunderzen's face turned slightly guilty upon hearing his daughters words, and he quickly apologized to her.
"I'm sorry that I kept the truth from you, but the nature of the secret surrounding all of this was too important to disclose to anyone other than my brother and the Grand Elder," Thunderzen replied.
"Your brother?" John asked. "You have a brother?"
"Yet another secret I didn't know about," Lilian spoke up as well while she stared at Thunderzen with narrowed eyes. "I too would like to know the truth of this matter. Speak, or don't blame me for giving you the cold shoulder in the future, father."
"I like this one," the grizzled man suddenly spoke up, a small smile on his face. "She has a fiery temper. Good, such a thing is important for a cultivator to have. How you managed to raise someone like her is beyond my understanding, you pacifist brother of mine."
John's ears perked up upon hearing the man's voice, as he couldn't instantly tell it was the one that had told no one to move the day he had been on the talent testing steps.
"Brother? You're the brother?" Lilian couldn't help but reply as she gazed at the man. She didn't see the resemblance to her father, as the two were complete polar opposites. Her father was a rather skinny man who was calm and tranquil, while the man before her was burly and ferocious, like a wild animal.
"Lilian, John. I would like you to meet my brother, Garson," Thunderfist said while gesturing towards his brother.
"Hmph, that old name of mine was discarded thousands of years ago," the man replied with displease. His gaze shifted to John and Lilian, as a heated look appeared in his eyes as he punched his fists together, causing a loud boom to shake the chamber.
"My name is Thunderfist, the younger brother of the old fart sitting behind me, and the true Sect Leader of this Heavenly Lightning Sect!"
