Old Acquaintance of the Pill Tower!

"My disciple is not only more talented than Han Feng, but his temperament and character surpass his by tenfold. Given time, he may even exceed what I achieved in my prime! As for you, before long, you'll be left far behind." After Mu Gu mentioned Han Feng, Elder Yao did not get angry. Instead, he praised Xiao Yan in a rather proud tone.

"Heh, since you think so highly of him, then I'll make sure he dies here today!" Seeing that Elder Yao showed little reaction, Mu Gu flew into a rage out of shame and actually launched an attack at Xiao Yan. As he spread his palm, endless black mist shrouded the world, instantly robbing Xiao Yan of his vision.

"Mu Gu, how dare you!"

Seeing that Mu Gu actually intended to attack Xiao Yan, Elder Yao was both shocked and furious. With Xiao Yan's current strength, he could not withstand even a single finger from Mu Gu.

In the next instant, Elder Yao rushed to Xiao Yan's side at top speed. At the same time, the Bone Spirit Cold Fire transformed into a circular defensive barrier, completely enveloping Xiao Yan.

Surrounded by the barrier formed from the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, Xiao Yan felt no scorching heat. Clearly, Elder Yao had split off a portion of his soul power to control the flame.

"Hahaha, Yao Chen, you were already so weak, and now you've divided your attention to protect that little brat. Let's see what you can use to fight me!"

Xiao Yan had lost all sight beyond the barrier, but he could clearly hear the laughter and sounds of battle outside.

"Teacher..."

Sensing the commotion outside, Xiao Yan felt deeply frustrated. He hated that he lacked the strength and had become a burden to Elder Yao.

The battle outside was extremely fierce and continued for a full five or six minutes. However, from the sounds of it, Xiao Yan could tell that Elder Yao and Old Man Mu Gu had likely already moved far away from this area.

High in the sky, several thousand zhang away from the mountain where Xiao Yan stood, the battle between Yao Chen and Old Man Mu Gu had entered its most intense stage. Old Man Mu Gu was gradually gaining the upper hand.

But suddenly, Old Man Mu Gu, who had been in the lead, frowned tightly and looked toward a distant patch of sky.

Elder Yao seemed to sense something as well, and his gaze turned in the same direction as Mu Gu's.

There, a white-robed figure gradually appeared within the sight of Old Man Mu Gu and Elder Yao.

The newcomer was an elderly man dressed in white robes, upon which was embroidered an exceedingly distinctive emblem.

"A member of the Pill Tower?"

"Dan Xu!"

Old Man Mu Gu recognized the newcomer's Pill Tower identity at a glance, while Elder Yao seemed to call out his name directly.

"Venerable Yao, I never thought you were still alive?"

The instant the white-robed elder saw Elder Yao's soul, he could scarcely believe his own eyes.

Back when Elder Yao first became famous, this old man called Dan Xu had merely been a junior of the Dan Family who had just entered the Dou Zong realm. Elder Yao had offered him verbal guidance several times back then. Yet in the blink of an eye, several hundred years had passed, and he had transformed into a powerful Four-star Dou Zun.

"Dan Xu, you've had quite the fortune these past years. I'm afraid the Dan Family is treating you like an ancestor now!" With Dan Xu's arrival, Elder Yao's previously tense mood immediately relaxed.

Dan Xu was a member of one of the five great families of the Pill Region. Having reached his current status, he had certainly joined the Pill Tower and become one of its elders. Setting aside the enmity between the Pill Tower and Soul Hall, just the guidance Elder Yao had once given him was enough to ensure that he would repay the favor by helping Elder Yao deal with Old Man Mu Gu.

"Venerable Yao, the situation is unusual right now. This junior will seek your guidance later. For now, let us first deal with this brutal Soul Hall man!" Dan Xu turned his gaze toward Old Man Mu Gu, his eyes filled with anger.

Because of Dan Xu's sudden appearance, Old Man Mu Gu's expression had already turned extremely ugly.

Originally, it had taken him considerable effort just to defeat Elder Yao. If Dan Xu of the Pill Tower joined forces with Elder Yao now, he would have no chance of victory.

"Hmph!"

"Yao Chen, consider yourself lucky today. But you won't escape. Several lords in the Hall are very interested in you. Once they learn that you're still alive, they will definitely come looking for you!"

Old Man Mu Gu reacted decisively. Knowing he was outmatched, he immediately chose to flee. He forcibly endured a palm strike from Dan Xu and used the force to retreat far away. Then, he left behind a massive cloud of black mist to conceal himself before tearing through space and departing.

Old Man Mu Gu's escape technique was extremely skillful. By the time Dan Xu wanted to give chase, his opponent had already vanished without a trace, leaving behind no aura to track.

Seeing that he could not catch up, Dan Xu did not force the issue. After all, his opponent had reached the peak of the Three-star Dou Zun realm. If Mu Gu was determined to leave, Dan Xu was not completely confident that he could keep him behind.

"Venerable Yao, I truly never expected that you were still alive. During all the years you were missing, the president and the others never stopped searching for your whereabouts! Right, why have you become like this? What exactly happened in between?..." After Old Man Mu Gu left, Dan Xu could no longer suppress his curiosity and began pressing Elder Yao for answers.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later!" Elder Yao shook his head, then flashed toward Xiao Yan and the Bone Spirit Cold Fire. Dan Xu immediately followed.

Yao Chen recalled the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, revealing Xiao Yan's figure within.

Xiao Yan's eyes were bloodshot and crisscrossed with red veins. Clearly, even under the protection of the Heavenly Flame, he had suffered greatly just now. Yet it was not physical suffering, but mental torment—he had not known how his teacher was faring.

"Teacher! You're all right... That's wonderful!"

When the pale-white fire barrier disappeared and Xiao Yan saw Elder Yao standing before him unharmed, the red veins in his eyes faded, and a trace of delight appeared on his face.

"This is?"

Dan Xu looked at Xiao Yan and asked curiously.

"This is my newly accepted disciple!"

"Little Yan, this is the grand elder of the Dan Family in the Pill Region, as well as one of the Pill Tower's elders!"

Elder Yao quickly introduced the two to each other.

"Greetings, Senior Dan!"

Xiao Yan bent over to offer a salute, but Dan Xu hurriedly reached out and helped him up.

"Since you are Venerable Yao's disciple, you are of the same generation as me. Such formalities will not do!" Dan Xu said with a smile. It was clear that even after all these years, he still held Elder Yao in great respect.

During their subsequent conversation, Elder Yao and Xiao Yan also learned that Dan Xu's appearance near Ling City this time had not been a coincidence.

Recently, quite a few remote cities across the Central Plains had been massacred. The Pill Tower suspected that Soul Hall was behind it, so they had dispatched some elders to secretly patrol back and forth through several remote cities.

(End of Chapter)