The next day.
The temporary residence for Huo Xuan and others.
The first rays of warm sunlight in the morning pierced through the clouds and streamed in through the cracks in the window, gradually raising the temperature inside the room.
When the sun was high in the sky, Huo Xuan slowly woke up from his cultivation.
"I want to see Huo Xuan!"
Just as Huo Xuan awoke from his meditative state, a powerful voice rang out from outside.
"Hey big guy! What's all the noise about!"
"You lot, get out of my way! Or I'll get rough!"
"Seven-Star Dou Zun..."
Hearing the arguing outside, Huo Xuan carefully discerned the source of the voice and quickly determined its strength.
"Is this the temperament of all you Shi Clan? Like... like those stones, smelly and hard!" Yan Liao shouted at a muscular man in front of him.
Yan Liao originally wanted to say that the Shi Clan's temper was like a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that saying it would damage his refined image. Besides, the Shi Clan was one of the Ancient Eight Clans, so he could only say it like that and let the other party figure it out for themselves.
"Get out of the way!"
"Shi Mo, what do you want to do! Want to fight?"
Yan Liao heard the muscular man's roar but showed no fear whatsoever. Although he was only a One-Star Dou Zun, while the muscular man was a Seven-Star Dou Zun, it was clear that a One-Star Dou Zun was courting death to act arrogantly in front of Seven-Star Dou Zun!
But are they the same person? Behind them is the powerful Flame Clan. For the sake of the Flame Clan, he wouldn't easily harm them. Besides, Brother Huo Xuan is here too. Seven-Star Dou Zun is nothing more than a slap to Brother Huo Xuan. So, they have nothing to fear.
As soon as they finished speaking, Huo Yun and Yan Ling activated their fighting Dou Qi and released their pressure on the muscular man named Shi Mo.
Although they knew it was pointless, they believed that they could lose in terms of strength, but they could never lose in terms of momentum.
Seeing this, Shi Mo remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was not. After all, he was now outnumbered and outmatched, and this was Flame Clan territory. Most of the Flame Clan had short tempers, and if he offended Flame Clan, his fate would certainly not be good.
But... he absolutely must see Huo Xuan today, he won't give up until he sees Huo Xuan!
"Hmph! I won't leave until I see Huo Xuan today!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of annoyance gradually appeared in the eyes of the three. Not long ago, the clan chief had said that the Flame Clan should not give the Shi Clan too much face when they met in the future.
The three of them agreed that the fact that they even came to see Shi Mo was already a great honor for him.
Want to see Brother Huo Xuan? Has Shi Mo gone mad?
"I heard you wanted to see me? Is there something you need?"
A voice suddenly rang out without warning. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Huo Xuan slowly walking out of his residence.
"Brother Huo Xuan!"
"You can go now. I need to have a good talk with that person."
"We've already met in the Yan World, so I don't think I need to introduce myself again," Shi Mo said first.
"Speak quickly if you have something to say, keep it brief and to the point, and stop with the nonsense," Huo Xuan said impatiently.
"Alright! Then I'll get straight to the point." Shi Mo swallowed back the polite words he was about to say and, without any preamble, said directly, "I've come to see you today on one official business and one personal matter."
"Explain."
Upon hearing this, Huo Xuan simply uttered this one word and then returned to silence.
"This is official business."
Shi Mo took out a grayish-white jade slip from his Storage Ring and handed it to Huo Xuan, gesturing for him to look at its contents.
Huo Xuan took the jade slip, and a wisp of his Soul Power invaded it, absorbing its contents into his mind.
This is a letter from Shi Po Tian, the patriarch of the Shi Clan, to Yan Jin. Apart from the words of concern and care, Shi Po Tian also subtly expressed his desire to form an alliance with the Flame Clan.
The reason Shi Po Tian wanted to form an alliance was probably because of their ally, the Spirit Clan.
A while ago, a major event suddenly occurred in the Spirit Clan!
The Ling World suddenly shut down!
Although he was unaware that the Spirit Clan had been destroyed by the Hun Clan, he still believed that the Spirit Clan still existed. Therefore, the Spirit Clan's sudden closure of the Ling World and its cessation of contact with outsiders caused him some unease.
Not only that, but even the space where the Ling World originally was located has completely disappeared. Since the Spirit Clan and the Shi Clan are allies and the two clans have been getting along very well during this period, Shi Po Tian was the first to learn of the closure of the Ling World. He also immediately sent some elders of his clan to investigate, but they did not find the Ling World... It was as if the Ling World had been completely hidden.
Sealing off and hiding the space is something they would never do unless they encountered something of utmost importance. The Spirit Clan must have encountered some major problem that even they cannot solve.
Shi Po Tian wanted to help, but unfortunately they couldn't contact the Spirit Clan at all. Because the Spirit Clan was out of contact, the Ling-Shi Alliance was practically gone. That's why Shi Po Tian was so eager to find another ally.
"And what about personal matters?" Huo Xuan asked with interest, fiddling with the jade token in his hand.
"Personal matters are... Ling Xi."
"Ling Xi?"
Isn't this the Spirit Clan I used? So much time has passed, if Shi Mo hadn't mentioned it, Huo Xuan really wouldn't have remembered such a person.
"I heard from Ling Ci last time that you went to the Ling World and hung out with Ling Xi. Your relationship seemed quite good. You even gave her a jade pendant as a token of your love. Is that true?"
"It's nothing but a complete fabrication..." Huo Xuan explained calmly in response to Shi Mo's questioning.
As expected, all it takes to spread rumors is a mouth!
At this moment, Huo Xuan had cursed Ling Ci dozens of times in his heart. He even brought out the token of their love. Wasn't this just slandering someone's innocence out of thin air?
Upon hearing Huo Xuan's words, Shi Mo breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. It turned out that all of this was fake, a complete fabrication.
"Hehe, I've heard that Huo Xuan of the Flame Clan is a person who is pure and detached from worldly desires. I didn't believe it at first, but after seeing him today, I can confirm that the rumors are true."
Seeing Shi Mo's reaction, how could Huo Xuan not know the reason? He had only guessed before, but now he was certain that Shi Mo was interested in the deceased Ling Xi.
"Brother Huo Xuan, you must already know the reason for this, so I won't beat around the bush." Shi Mo paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I know the Flame Clan needs allies. Our clan leader is still considering the alliance. As long as Brother Huo Xuan doesn't try to take advantage of Ling Xi in the future, and besides, I've heard that Brother Huo Xuan has a very rich collection..."
Upon hearing this, Huo Xuan's expression changed slightly. Over the years, the Flame Clan had invested a considerable amount of resources in him, and he had even used Xiao Yan to blackmail Gu Xun'er several times. Adding to this the resources he had gained from his years of training away from the clan, Shi Mo wasn't wrong; compared to them, his collection was indeed far more extensive...
He actually knew!
Shi Mo wouldn't reveal this without reason. Combining what was said earlier, Huo Xuan understood that this guy wanted to use the alliance to skim some profit from him.
Huo Xuan scrutinized Shi Mo in front of him once more. The muscular Shi Mo had the image of a typical bold and unrestrained man, which gave people the first impression of being honest and simple.
But I never expected him to be so shrewd. Although he looks honest and simple, he has a little fox inside him and is very clever!
Shi Mo smiled. That day, he was in the same tavern as Huo Xuan. Huo Xuan didn't pay much attention to him, but he vaguely heard Huo Xuan and the others talking. He couldn't remember what they said now, but he knew that Huo Xuan had the Dou Sheng Skeleton, and that he had casually given the Dou Sheng Skeleton to the three guys who were with him.
The Dou Sheng Skeleton! Those are things left behind by Dou Sheng!
The value of this item is comparable to some high-grade Eighth Grade Pill. Even though he is a genius among the Shi Clan, they can only receive a few Eighth Grade Pill a year in the clan. However, Huo Xuan gives these things away to others at will, which is enough to show how rich Huo Xuan's collection is.
He initially thought that Huo Xuan and Ling Xi had a relationship, so at first he just wanted Huo Xuan to leave Ling Xi. But after he found out that they had no relationship, he thought of taking advantage of the alliance to gain some benefits for himself.
The Flame Clan needs allies, and in return for some benefits, I'll help them secure an alliance. This deal is quite worthwhile.
Will Huo Xuan refuse?
Huo Xuan isn't stupid; he probably won't let this opportunity slip by!
With Huo Xuan's wealth, giving him ten or eight high-grade Eighth Grade Pill shouldn't be a problem. With these pills, he's confident he can reach the Nine-Star Dou Zun in a short time.
Thinking of this, Shi Mo felt a surge of excitement, joy, and exhilaration; he was almost bursting into laughter.
At this moment, he seemed to see Huo Xuan take out ten or eight high-grade Eighth Grade Pill and hand them to him, begging him to help him with the alliance matter.
Huo Xuan looked at Shi Mo in front of him as if he were an idiot.
What's wrong with him?
Are you stupid?