Battle Through the Heavens

Xiao Yan listened to a report from the two Elders in front of him within the main hall of the Falling Star Pavilion. He suddenly stood up. His face was filled with joy.

“Ha ha, the Flower Sect and the Burning Flame Valley have both given us a clear reply. They are waiting for the junior pavilion chief to decide when to announce this news.” A Falling Star Pavilion Elder smiled as he replied.

Xiao Yan, Cai Lin, and the rest sighed in relief after hearing these words. Things were always difficult at the start. With this good beginning, it would be much easier to deal with the subsequent matters. The Flower Sect and the Burning Flame Valley possessed a strong reputation within the Central Plains. Their participation would undoubtedly increase the reputation of the alliance, far surpassing the reputation of the Profound River Alliance when it had been formed back then.

“The smooth progress of this alliance has somewhat exceeded my expectations.”

Yao Lao fondled his beard and laughed. After all, the Hall of Souls was not an ordinary faction. Opposing them would require a lot of courage.

“In that case, when will we meet the two sects to discuss the details of the alliance?” Cai Lin asked.

“There is no need to hurry. Although the Flower Sect and the Burning Flame Valley have agreed to join, it is still not enough. If we wish to fight the Hall of Souls, we definitely need to rope the Pill Tower in. Otherwise... it will be quite difficult.” Yao Lao slowly shook his head as he explained the situation.

Xiao Yan slightly nodded. The joy in his heart was gradually diminished. He also understood that the most important of the three large factions was the Pill Tower. This faction possessed the ability to summon experts across the Central Plains. If they joined, the alliance’s reputation would soar to an unbelievable high. At that time, they would not be inferior to the Hall of Souls even when it came to a head-on clash. However, Xiao Yan was aware that it would not be easy to get the Pill Tower to join the alliance.

The Pill Tower had always maintained a neutral stance. It had never joined any camp ever since it had been founded. Even though these people hated the Hall of Souls to their very bones, the chances of success in convincing them to join the alliance were not very high.

“Shall we send a letter as a probe?” The Little Fairy Doctor suggested.

Yao Lao shook his head. He said, “This must not be done recklessly. If we wish to convince them to join the alliance, it is likely that I must personally visit the Pill Tower with Xiao Yan. The result of sending anyone else will definitely end the same.”

“Aye.”

Xiao Yan nodded. The Pill Tower was not like the Flower Sect and the Burning Flame Valley. They needed to head over personally if they wished to form this alliance.

“So it’s like this... it’s just as well. I will take care of the Falling Star Pavilion. The matters over this period of time have mostly been settled. There will likely not be any more trouble. When are the both of you leaving?” Cai Lin nodded and supported this approach. The final decision of the Pill Tower was a critical part of this alliance. They needed to treat it with great care.

“This matter cannot be delayed. We will leave today.”

Xiao Yan exchanged glances with Yao Lao and the both of them replied simultaneously. This matter had to be resolved as soon as possible.

With the decision made, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao did not delay any longer. The both of them made some preparations before hurrying to the Pill Region. Since the Falling Star Pavilion had just stabilized, only the two of them left on this trip. Cai Lin, the Little Fairy Doctor, and the rest remained behind to guard the Falling Star Pavilion.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao could both be considered elite Dou Shengs. Their speed was naturally not something an ordinary expert could compare with. They tore through space and traveled to their destination. Under this frightening speed, they had reached the Holy Pill City in the Pill Region in half a day.

Xiao Yan felt somewhat emotional as he arrived on the outskirts of the Holy Pill City. This place was where he had truly become famous in the Central Plains. During the Pill Gathering, he had relied on himself to turn the tide around and defeat the expert from the Hall of Souls, preventing the champion spot of the Pill Gathering from landing in the hands of someone from the Hall of Souls. Putting it this way, the Pill Tower owed Xiao Yan a favor. After all, if the champion spot had been taken by the Hall of Souls, the reputation of the Pill Tower would have suffered a huge blow.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao did not stop because of the bustling streets after entering the Holy Pill City. Instead, they entered the Pill Tower.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were seated in a large hall at the top level of the Pill Tower. An Elder of the Pill Tower quickly withdrew and informed the three great heads of their arrival.

“These three fellows seem to have formed great airs about them now...” Yao Lao lifted the teacup beside him, took a sip, and laughed. Both he and Xiao Yan were fatigued after traveling here, but fortunately the both of them were extraordinary. Hence, they were able to endure this fatigue.

Xiao Yan smiled. He knew that Yao Lao’s relationship with the three heads was quite good, so he did not comment.

The silence in the large hall continued for a moment before it was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. The tightly shut door was pushed open and a loud laugh quickly followed.

“Ha ha, what a rare guest. Old Yao, it is unexpected that I am able to see you again.”

The tightly shut door had been opened. A white-robed Xuan Kong Zi laughed and quickly entered. Tian Lei Zi and Xuan Yu quickly followed him in. Both of their eyes contained some excitement as they looked at Yao Lao in the large hall, who was holding a teacup.

“It has been a long time since we have last met. How are you?” Yao Lao placed his teacup down. He looked at those three and greeted them with a grin.

Xuan Kong Zi and the two behind him quickly walked through the large hall. They arrived in front of Yao Lao and looked at his familiar face. A moment later, Xuan Kong Zi softly sighed. He patted Yao Lao’s shoulder as he said, “It is unexpected that I am still able to see you while we are still alive.”

The smile on Yao Lao’s face became denser after seeing the way they acted. He patted Xuan Kong Zi’s shoulder before his eyes landed on Xuan Yi by the side. He laughed, “It has been so many years since we have met, but you are still as beautiful as ever. You don’t appear like the few of us old fellows.”

Xuan Yi’s face reddened slightly upon hearing this compliment and both of her eyes filled with some moisture. Her little-girl-like demeanor caused Xiao Yan to feel speechless. It seemed that this giant head of the Pill Tower really held some feelings for Yao Lao. Even he had managed to guess this with a glance.

The four of them laughed and chatted for a while after they met. Xiao Yan was unable to interrupt. All he could do was helplessly stand by the side and accompany them.

“Ha ha, old Yao, you have really accepted a good disciple. He is young but he has already reached the Dou Sheng class. Moreover, he also values relationships. If any accident were to befall you back then, the old me would really have wished to snatch him.” The few of them finally saw Xiao Yan by the side after chatting for awhile. Xuan Kong Zi immediately laughed.

“Elder Xuan Kong Zi, please don’t tease this young-self.” Xiao Yan involuntarily and bitterly laughed before giving a reply.

“Hee hee, I am unworthy of the term ‘elder’ now. Those who are stronger are the masters. Regardless of whether it is in terms of training Dou Qi or alchemists skills, it is likely that I am unable to compare with you...” Xuan Kong Zi smiled as he responded. He had just luckily advanced to the Ban Sheng class a year ago, but he vaguely felt as though he was facing an endless sea in front of Xiao Yan. He could not even detect Xiao Yan’s limit.

“Alright, you would not visit for no reason. Old Yao, your visit to my Pill Tower definitely involves some big matters, right?” Xuan Kong Zi laughed. He changed the conversation as he looked back at Yao Lao.

“Aye.”

The smile on Yao Lao’s face diminished after hearing that they were about to discuss the important matters. He mused for a moment before explaining the matter of the alliance in detail.

“Alliance... this matter is a little troublesome. It is not as if you are unaware of how stubborn those old fellows are.” Xuan Kong Zi’s group all frowned. Xuan Kong Zi replied after hearing Yao Lao explain the situation.

“I am aware that it is troublesome, but I must give it a try. The Hall of Souls is too powerful. None of our party would be able to fight them alone. If we do not form an alliance, neither one of us will be able to escape the claws of the Hall of Souls. I have been captured by the Hall of Souls before. Hence, I have an idea why they are capturing souls, and it likely involves some brewing schemes...” Yao Lao replied in a grave manner.

Xuan Kong Zi slightly nodded. He knew that he Hall of Souls would not capture so many spiritual bodies for no reason, but this news alone was not enough to get those old fellows to break from the norm and join the alliance.

“This matter would be much easier if the ancestor was still around. Just one word from his elderly-self would determine the final answer...” Xuan Yi frowned and replied.

“That old thing has disappeared again?” Yao Lao asked in a startled voice.

Xuan Kong Zi and the other two bitterly smiled bitterly and nodded together. Xuan Kong Zi replied, “He has been missing for a long time. It has been many years since we had heard any word from him. If his spiritual jade token wasn’t still perfectly fine, even we would have thought that he had met with some mishap.”

“Ancestor? What is that?”

Xiao Yan by the side asked. He could not resist his curiosity after hearing their conversation. Yao Lao had never mentioned that there was an ancestor inside the Pill Tower.

“This ancestor could be considered one of the founders of the Pill Tower. He is also the most experienced person in the Pill Tower, and his words would influence any decision. If he agreed to this alliance, there would not be a problem, but if he disagrees, there will not be any hope for this alliance.” Xuan Kong Zi hesitated before replying.

“However, this ancestor loves to roam and have fun in the world. He disappears all the time. Even the three of us have only met him once during these many years. The thing that the ancestor loves to do most is to find pregnant woman. Of course, his target is not these pregnant woman, but the baby in their wombs. More accurately speaking, he wants to find incidents where the baby has lost its life before leaving the mother’s womb due to an accident.”

“After finding a baby who has died early, he will then enter the body of the pregnant woman using a special method and turn into an ordinary baby. He will be born, grow, and live his life as another person until that body finally dies. Only then will he leave... using that old fellow’s words to describe it, it is experiencing life...”

Xiao Yan was completely stunned as he stared at Xuan Kong Zi bitterly smiling face. He laughed dryly and said, “This ancestor is really a very unique human.”

“Additionally, the ancestor is not a human...”

Xuan Kong Zi slowly shook his head. He stared at Xiao Yan and softly said, “His actual form... is a medicinal pill.”