Elder Council, Full Assembly

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, followed by a series of shattering teacups that rang through the great hall.

"Does the Clan Leader believe that the closure of Ling Clan's Space this time is closely connected to the Water Clan's mysterious disappearance eight hundred years ago?" Elder Wan Huo asked, his face full of astonishment. Although the Water Clan had lost the title of one of the "Ancient Nine Clans" a thousand years ago due to its excessively diluted Dou Di Bloodline, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Its strength had been far from weak, with no fewer than ten Dou Sheng within the clan. In particular, the Water Clan Leader, Shui Huai, had reached the peak of Six-star Dou Sheng, surpassing even him by a small margin.

Yet such a formidable clan had mysteriously vanished eight hundred years ago. At first, the Water Clan's space had suddenly closed. The news had sparked much debate among the elders, and their final conclusion had been that the Water Clan was preparing to relocate its entire clan to another space for self-preservation. Several decades later, the Water Clan's space opened again, and it was indeed completely empty inside. The clan elders had marveled at it for quite some time. They had moved as soon as they said they would, without revealing a single hint of it. Such execution was truly enviable...

"I'm afraid it is not merely closely connected, but the work of the same force." Yao Dan slowly spoke with a grim expression. "Ling Clan Leader Ling Dong is not the sort of conservative who seeks only self-preservation. Whether it was recruiting Dou Zun and even Half-Saints of considerable strength from Central Continent under the name of the Ancient Eight Clans, or proactively marrying into the Gu Clan and taking Gu Dao's third daughter as his wife, nearly turning the Ling Clan into a subordinate clan of the Gu Clan, all of it showed that this man's governing style was exceedingly aggressive..."

"Whoosh!" Space rippled as a gray-robed elder and three white-robed elders flashed into the hall. The gray-robed elder was naturally Yao Wangui, who had gone to deliver the message, while the three white-robed elders were the famed Three Saints of the Yao Clan.

"You three have been in seclusion for a hundred years. Now that you have emerged, your strength has indeed greatly improved." Yao Dan smiled in satisfaction. He had keenly observed that all three had advanced tremendously during their century of seclusion. Yao Linmao, the leader among them, had even entered the Mid Six-star Dou Sheng realm.

"Thank you, Clan Leader. What great matter did the Clan Leader summon us out of seclusion to discuss?" Yao Linmao stared intently at Yao Dan. He too could not fathom what sort of matter was worthy of a meeting of this level.

"Ling Clan's Space has closed. The circumstances are exactly the same as those of the Water Clan back then. I fear the odds are against them. Our Yao Clan should make preparations early." Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yao Dan spoke gravely. "The nine elders, myself included, completely represent the Yao Clan's highest combat strength. The rise and fall of the clan rest upon our shoulders! The first thing we must do is refine a Nine-grade Profound Pill."

The entire hall erupted at those words. Since the previous Clan Leader had passed away, the Yao Clan had lost its only grandmaster capable of independently refining Nine-grade Profound Pills. On careful calculation, even within the Yao Clan, famed among the Eight Clans for its alchemy, it had been more than three hundred years since a Nine-grade Profound Pill was last refined.

"Which Nine-grade Profound Pill does the Clan Leader intend to refine?" Elder Wan Huo's expression tightened. The Yao Clan did indeed possess more than a dozen pill formulas for Nine-grade Profound Pills, but refining any one of them was harder than ascending to heaven. Even if he and Yao Dan joined forces, their chances of success likely would not exceed sixty percent. "Whether we succeed or fail, refining a Nine-grade Profound Pill will thin the energy within the Medicine Realm for some time and affect the clan members' cultivation. I do not know whether this risk is worth taking."

"We will refine the simplest one, the Nine Profound Marrow Cleansing Pill. The two of us have a seventy percent chance of success if we join forces to refine this pill. If we also invite four Ninth-grade Treasure Pill Grandmasters to protect us and guide the energy of heaven and earth, the chance of success will exceed ninety percent!"

"Elder Shen Nong has traveled the world. There is no telling when he will return." Yao Linmao frowned deeply at those words. The Three Saints of the Yao Clan were all Ninth-grade Treasure Pill Grandmasters, so they naturally understood why Yao Dan had summoned them from seclusion. "There seems to be no other Ninth-grade Treasure Pill Grandmaster in the clan. Once the Young Clan Leader emerges from seclusion, perhaps she may be able to advance to become one, but honestly, that will be difficult..."

"I had already considered that, which is why I invited a Ninth-grade Treasure Pill Grandmaster to return to the clan. It is just that Wangui has been put through quite a bit." Yao Dan said with a smiling expression.

"Since the survival of the clan is at stake, Wangui would not refuse even if it meant dying a hundred deaths!" Yao Wangui shook his head with a bitter smile. Though the Yao Clan excelled in alchemy, not everyone was an alchemist. At the very least, he was not. The status of a Ninth-grade Treasure Pill Grandmaster within the clan was indeed sufficient to place them on equal footing with him.

"Good. Let us proceed to the next item on the agenda..."

Several days later, at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

"Yao Chen, the Eight Desolations Primordial Spirit Pill!"

Yao Chen took a deep breath and looked at the five white-robed elders below the platform, their faces filled with anticipation. As a Two-Star Dou Sheng, he had also heard a little about the contents of the Elder Council's full assembly. Naturally, he understood that this pill refinement carried not only his own honor and pride, but perhaps even the survival and fall of the entire Yao Clan!

With a sweep of Yao Chen's sleeve, the Nine Nether Wind Flame surged forth and instantly transformed into a solid medicinal cauldron. He then waved his right hand, and the selected medicinal ingredients streamed in from every direction, pouring into the cauldron.

This time, it must succeed... Yao Chen softly said to himself.