Congratulations

This trip to Mountain Village could be considered a full haul for Xiao Han. Not only had he found a survivor from back then, he had also gained an exceptionally talented disciple.

In addition, that little fellow's background also left Xiao Han somewhat expectant, even pleasantly surprised.

At this moment, he was rubbing a Jade Pendant in his hand. The pattern on it was extremely exquisite and contained something mysterious, while the character "Xiao" was pleasing to the eye.

Worried that the two of them would not be able to endure long-distance spatial travel, Xiao Han divided the journey into several parts. Though it wasted quite a bit of time, by hurrying as much as he could, he still returned to Langya Pavilion the day before the Grand Wedding.

The moment he arrived at Langya Pavilion, he was immediately discovered by an elder. As soon as that elder saw Xiao Han, his eyes suddenly widened, and he looked slightly dazed, yet his hands were not slow at all. With a flip of his hand, he took out a jade token and sent out the news.

Before long, Ye Jianxin and Yi Huang arrived before Xiao Han.

"I have to say, you finally came back." Ye Jianxin felt deeply exhausted at this moment.

Utterly worn out, body and soul—that was about right. Had Xiao Han been specially sent down from the heavens to shave years off his life?

In the next instant, he saw the old man and the young boy behind Xiao Han.

"These two are...?" Ye Jianxin frowned, his gaze shifting to Xiao Han as he asked in slight confusion.

"Your illegitimate son?" Ye Jianxin said with an exaggerated expression, pointing at Xiao Wu. Xiao Han rewarded him with a round of eye-rolls.

Yi Huang also furrowed her brows. Why had this guy brought people back with him too?

"This is the direct disciple I just accepted—Xiao Wu. The other is his grandfather—Shi Tou." Xiao Han pulled Xiao Wu over and explained to Ye Jianxin and Yi Huang.

A disciple?!

The two were suddenly shocked. Xiao Han had actually taken on a disciple! As brothers and sisters in the same trench, Ye Jianxin and Yi Huang naturally knew very well how high Xiao Han's standards for accepting disciples were.

Of course, the other two were not bad either. However, Ye Jianxin had his own son to teach, while Yi Huang had yet to meet anyone suitable.

"Of course, this was also the goal of my trip this time, though it was only a temporary one."

"I mainly brought him here in the hope that you could try and see if you can cure him, Huang'er, and let him enjoy his old age in peace." Xiao Han signaled for her to take a look at Shi Tou.

"Are you sure?" Yi Huang looked troubled. Although her current attainment in alchemy was already very high, precisely because she was an alchemist, she could tell even more clearly that Shi Tou did not have many days left.

Never mind curing him—Shi Tou's current body could not withstand any medicinal force at all. Even she could only choose to use Wood Attribute Dou Qi to barely keep him alive.

Perhaps sensing Yi Huang's difficulty, Shi Tou took the initiative to speak. "There's no need to trouble yourself. I know my own body. There's no way to cure it. I won't trouble you, senior."

"Huh? Grandpa Shi, what nonsense are you talking about? I'll definitely think of a way to save you." After more than ten years of depending on each other for survival, Xiao Wu and Shi Tou had formed a deep bond.

Now that he heard Grandpa Shi could not be saved, he immediately refused to accept it.

"Is there really no way to save him?" Xiao Han's expression also looked somewhat unpleasant.

"It's not that there's no way, but the price is simply too great. And even if he's cured, he can only live for another ten years. Have you really made up your mind?" Yi Huang transmitted her voice to Xiao Han.

Xiao Han said in a firm tone, "No matter the cost, he must be saved. This is the only thing I can do."

Perhaps hearing the determination in Xiao Han's attitude, Yi Huang said to everyone, "He can be saved. The price is one Ninth Grade Pill, the Return Illumination Pill. And it can only let you live another ten years. Is that acceptable?" The last sentence was directed at Shi Tou.

A Ninth Grade Pill? At this moment, Shi Tou was already stunned by those words.

The highest-grade pill he had seen in his entire life was only Fourth Rank. Even that had been the treasure of the Deacon who managed them, something he often took out to show off. As for a Ninth Grade Pill, he could no longer even imagine its value.

He subconsciously refused. "This is truly far too precious. Let's forget it."

"No, how can we forget it? That's settled." Xiao Wu did not understand the value of a Ninth Grade Pill at this moment. His only thought was to save Shi Tou. He was even a little dissatisfied—why could it only extend his life by ten years? In the future, he had to make Grandpa Shi live another hundred years.

"Fine. Then I'll go prepare afterward." Yi Huang glanced at Xiao Han, and seeing his expression remain as usual, she said.

What Yi Huang did not say was that the Return Illumination Pill was a pill she currently had no way of refining. There was only one pill in stock, passed down by that senior.

Its effect was to give a dying person a chance at a final rally. Ten years of life, ten years of health, and the complete loss of cultivation. Once the time was up, even if the Medicine Emperor himself came, there would be no reversing it.

When this pill was chosen, it meant there truly was no other way.

Xiao Han followed as well, except afterward, his expression was not too good.

Ye Jianxin watched the two of them leave. Then he said to the other two, "Come with me. I'll arrange rooms for you."

Judging from Xiao Han's attitude, he clearly valued this grandfather and grandson very much, so Ye Jianxin did not act arrogant in the slightest.

Nothing happened overnight. The next day.

Langya Pavilion was extremely lively at this moment. Disciples and elders all wore smiling faces and festive clothes, showing the utmost warmth toward the guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

And the congratulatory gifts from the guests were extraordinarily precious as well. Rare seventh- and Eighth Rank heavenly treasures, Dou Techniques and cultivation methods no lower than Earth Grade, pills and treasures—everything was available.

Listening to the voices reporting the gifts, everyone was shocked for a moment, and equally envious.

How wonderful it would be if so many good things were given to our sect! For a time, many representatives of various forces sighed with emotion.

But they only thought about it in their hearts. They were well aware of the standing of their own forces. These things were only worthy of being possessed by the strong. Soon, some powerful figures who were acquainted with one another began to chat familiarly.

This was a rare grand occasion. So many representatives of different forces had gathered together, among them quite a few leaders of forces. It could even be said that if everyone at the venue were wiped out at this moment, the forces and Combat power of the entire Central Plains would be weakened by twenty percent. Of course, this excluded the existence of the Ancient Races.

Likewise, this occasion was also an excellent place for the various forces to build connections. Even those who were not familiar with one another, or even completely unacquainted, could exchange a few words. Many collaborations were negotiated just like this.

And this was only the early stage. The important guests had yet to arrive. Once those first-rate forces of the Central Plains arrived, they would no doubt ignite the entire atmosphere of the venue in an instant.

...No one knew how much time had passed.

"The Sound Valley Master, Heavenly Sound Old Man, presents one Phoenix Cry Zither."

Boom—

The moment those words rang out, the entire hall was shaken.

Heavenly Sound Old Man had actually come in person to offer his congratulations. And what he had brought was the Phoenix Cry Zither, a sect-treasuring artifact.

It seemed the news that Sound Valley was on good terms with Ice Saint was indeed true. Otherwise, who could have made Heavenly Sound Old Man come personally to congratulate them, and even present such a generous gift?

Sound Valley was famous for music. As one of the Three Valleys of the Central Plains, Sound Valley's strength could not be underestimated.

The most distinctive thing about Sound Valley Cultivators, in particular, was that they were strange and unpredictable, using music as their means of confronting enemies.

Attack, defense, control, support, healing—they covered everything. Whether in one-on-one duels or group battles, there was nothing they could not handle.

Moreover, because of the unique nature of music, attacks launched through sound were difficult to judge with the naked eye. Sound Valley's methods were even more concealed; by the time one sensed them, it meant one had already been hit. They were extremely troublesome to deal with.

Even though Sound Valley had once disappeared from the public eye for a time, no one had ever dared deny the might of its strength.