At this moment, heaven and earth fell deathly silent.
As Xiao Yan looked at the burlap-clad man before him, a trace of undisguised shock flashed through his eyes.
To his senses, there was not the slightest trace of this man's aura anywhere in heaven or earth. Even the space the man occupied seemed like utter nothingness; aside from seeing him with the naked eye, no other method could detect him.
A tangible form without a spirit—this extreme contradiction in perception was even stranger than clan elder Gu Nanhai, whom he had seen before!
"This junior is Xiao Yan. Greetings, Senior."
Xiao Yan clasped his hands in salute. His gaze remained neither humble nor overbearing, though it carried an unprecedented degree of vigilance.
Although Xiao Yan did not fear the Ancient Clan, he was currently under their roof. Naturally, he had to remain wary of the powerful figures within their clan, lest his own life be threatened.
After all, given the Ancient Clan's current conduct, even if they had openly promised not to send Dou Saint experts after him, there was no telling what shameful deeds they might commit in secret. The odds of that were far from low.
"I came here solely to cultivate and had no intention of offending Senior. If I have caused any disturbance, I hope Senior will forgive me."
Xiao Yan spoke respectfully and cautiously, though his gaze inconspicuously swept to the side, as if waiting for something.
"There is no need for forgiveness. The reason I am here is precisely because I was waiting for you to appear."
The burlap-clad man shook his head. Then, as though he had foreseen Xiao Yan's thoughts, he smiled faintly. "If you are waiting for that Hall Master to discover the traces of the two of us, I'm afraid