“Let’s go, to the Yao Family!”
Aboard the Spirit Boat, the many disciples of Dan Peak buzzed with excitement. After all, this was the Yao Family’s Centennial Pill Grand Event! The Yao Family represented the absolute pinnacle of alchemy in the Southern Wilds, far surpassing even Dan Peak in prestige and power.
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor turned to Lu Xuan. “I’ve heard that this time, the Demon Court, Dark Shadow Island, and Holy Alliance—those three major powers—won’t be attending.”
Lu Xuan offered a faint smile. “What are they afraid of? I’m a very kind person, you know.”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor simply blinked. “…”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor then gazed into the distant void, his expression solemn. “This is likely the calm before the storm. The last grand event in the Southern Wilds! Once the Supreme Path opens, a bloody war will inevitably erupt!”
Lu Xuan, utterly unconcerned, merely waved a dismissive hand. “No worries.”
Beside him, Ji Fuyao looked at Ye Chen. “Junior Brother, has your father set off yet?”
“He’s already left ahead of us,” Ye Chen replied. “We’ll meet him at the Yao Family gates then.”
Ji Fuyao’s eyes flickered with resolve. “Good. The matters from all those years ago should finally be settled.”
Yao Yan, residing within Ye Chen’s jade pendant, remained silent, but the excitement in his heart was palpable. Seventeen years. He was finally going home. Yao Yan and Ye Chen exchanged a look, both seeing the same eager anticipation reflected in the other’s eyes.
Three days later.
The Grand Dao Sect’s Spirit Boat sliced through the boundless void, finally arriving at the Yao Family’s domain. Ye Chen stood on the deck, gazing down, and Yao Yan, too, rose to his feet.
The Yao Family’s territory stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles, a breathtaking expanse of crisscrossing mountains and rivers, brimming with spiritual essence. Countless towering spiritual trees reached for the heavens, and myriad rare herbs flourished on the peaks, cloaking the entire Yao Family in a vibrant, verdant green. Even before their descent, a rich, earthy aroma of plants, thick with vitality, washed over them. It was, quite literally, a green ocean as far as the eye could see.
Amidst the endless mountain ranges, the high-grade flora and fauna exuded a profound ‘Dao’ and ‘Rhyme,’ giving the entire Yao Family territory an indescribable, almost ethereal quality. Tomorrow marked the grand opening of the Yao Family’s Pill Grand Event, and already, the estate was bustling with activity. Endless brilliant Dao patterns surged across the mountains like flowing rivers, appearing dreamlike and illusory. Auspicious spirit beasts soared through the air, their harmonious calls bringing a sense of peace and clarity to all who heard them.
Even Dao Yuan Old Ancestor couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “This is the Yao Family. To have stood for endless years in the Southern Wilds, solely on the strength of the Dao of alchemy, is truly remarkable!”
Dan Peak Master Gu Yuefang nodded in agreement. “Indeed. The Yao Family has endured for so long; cultivators across the Southern Wilds only trust Yao Family pills.”
There was a common saying in the Southern Wilds: “Not all pills are Yao Family pills.” Another went: “In the Southern Wilds, there are only two kinds of pills: those from the Yao Family, and those that are not.” And the most telling: “If a Yao Family pill is available, choose it. If not, only then consider other factions’ pills.”
These weren’t mere boasts! Yao Yan stood up, his excitement barely contained, his sense of belonging to the Yao Family incredibly strong. Though the Saint Son’s Lineage had nearly led to his demise and separated Ye Chen and his mother for seventeen long years, he still held a broader perspective regarding the entire clan.
Just then, a thunderous boom echoed, followed by a sharp crack!
From a spiritual peak deep within the Yao Family, a brilliant divine arc surged forth, and a terrifying, unparalleled Quasi-Dao Supreme pressure shot out, rippling across the heavens and earth. Yao Feng, the Old Ancestor of the Saint Son’s Lineage, rose into the air in a gray robe, flanked by several other Old Ancestors.
They offered a slight bow to Dao Yuan Old Ancestor. “Brother Dao Yuan, long time no see. The last time we met was…”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor chuckled, finishing the joke. “It was last time.”
Old Ancestor Yao Feng laughed heartily in return. “Indeed, it was a whole epoch ago! Time truly flies like an arrow; a mere flick of the finger, and an entire epoch has passed!”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor’s eyes, too, showed a hint of ancient weariness, deeply empathetic. “Indeed!”
Old Ancestor Yao Feng then asked, “Has the White Robe Supreme arrived?”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor glanced at Lu Xuan. He himself couldn’t quite discern if this was truly Lu Xuan, or the elusive White Robe Supreme. The White Robe Supreme was known to appear and disappear like a phantom, so it was hard to say if he was truly here, or perhaps existing in some transcendent state, like a boundless Buddha.
Seeing this, Old Ancestor Yao Feng turned to Lu Xuan with a teasing remark. “Peak Master Lu, I’ve long heard of your great name! One might not have heard of Yao Feng or Dao Yuan in the Southern Wilds, but surely everyone knows of Peak Master Lu’s illustrious reputation!”
Lu Xuan, with an utterly unconcerned expression, simply nodded faintly. “Mutually, mutually.”
Old Ancestor Yao Feng’s face darkened with displeasure. He cursed inwardly, This Lu Xuan truly doesn’t know what’s good for him. He hasn’t learned an ounce of proper conduct, yet he’s mastered seven parts of putting on airs, acting like a pompous fool. A mere ant, daring to be so presumptuous before me?
However, out of respect for Dao Yuan Old Ancestor, he suppressed his anger and refrained from acting out.
Old Ancestor Yao Feng’s gaze swept over the assembled crowd, then he asked, “Last time, my clan attended the Pill Refining Exchange Conference at your esteemed sect, and Ye Chen took first place, outshining my clan’s genius Yao Huanhuan and others. Which one is Ye Chen?”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor pointed to Ye Chen, introducing him. “This is Ye Chen, Lu Xuan’s second disciple, and also the disciple of the White Robe Supreme.”
In Old Ancestor Yao Feng’s eyes, Ye Chen, clad in white robes, exuded a faint Emperor Realm pressure, his Dao Rhyme incredibly rich, even comparable to the Saint Son of his own lineage! A true prodigy! And he was only seventeen!
Yao Feng couldn’t help but praise him repeatedly. “Excellent! Excellent! What a pity he isn’t of my Yao Family bloodline!”
Ye Chen bowed, a slight hesitation in his voice. “Greetings, Senior.”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Yao Feng, with the Yao Family Ancestor not appearing, you are probably the number one alchemist in the Southern Wilds right now, aren’t you?”
Yao Feng didn’t feign modesty. “I wouldn’t dare claim such a title. However, if I were to claim second, no one in the Southern Wilds would dare claim first.”
Ji Fuyao glanced at Lu Xuan and Ye Chen, her delicate lips curving into a faint, knowing smile.
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor then inquired, “How is this grand event arranged?”
Yao Feng nodded with a smile. “The schedule for our clan’s grand event this time is: the first three days will feature Dao discussions from the Yao Family and many Heaven-tier Alchemists, followed by an alchemy competition for the younger generation. Finally, our Yao Family will, under the witness of powerhouses from all the Southern Wilds’ provinces, integrate the Yao Family’s forces, discard other lineages, and achieve great unification!”
Ye Chen frowned, muttering to himself, “Integrate the Yao Family?”
Dao Yuan Old Ancestor’s face turned solemn. “The Yao Family is preparing to use the full strength of their clan to contend for the Supreme Path!”
Yao Feng smiled. “Precisely! Our Yao Family has been planning for several epochs, waiting for this very moment!”
Just then, a deafening boom ripped through the air, followed by a shattering crack!
The void tore open, space twisting violently. From within the spatial rift, an incomparably massive palace emerged, shimmering with brilliant divine light, its Dao patterns constantly intertwining, forming four grand characters:
“Cangmu Academy!”
Yao Feng smiled. “Another old friend has arrived!”
From atop Cangmu Academy, the Academy’s Old Ancestor bowed respectfully to Yao Feng. Elder Cang Li also arrived, shaking his head as he scanned the area outside the palace for Ye Chen’s location. He then directly stepped into the air and appeared before Ye Chen. “Young Friend Ye Chen, long time no see. Tonight, let us talk through the night by candlelight, and discuss the Dao.”
Ye Chen: “…”
He was quite unaccustomed to Elder Cang Li’s overwhelming enthusiasm. The man had absolutely no sense of personal boundaries!
A moment later, a few more Spirit Boats sliced through the void, appearing in the sky.
“Pill Fragrance Sect!”
“Ancient Wang Family!”
“Azurewood Holy Land!”
“…”
Yao Feng immediately had his people arrange for everyone to enter the Yao Family territory and settle into their accommodations.
Lu Xuan’s Divine Sense swept out, and he quickly spotted Ye Chen’s father, Ye Changfeng. He was clad in green robes, his bearing extraordinary. His originally white temples had been meticulously concealed, making him appear like a vibrant young man. Ye Changfeng stood ramrod straight before the Yao Family’s main gates, but was currently being denied entry for lacking an invitation.
Ye Chen immediately rushed to his father’s side. Seeing his father’s carefully groomed appearance, his nose stung with emotion. “Father!”