Welcome back, Ancestor! (Five thousand)

With doubts and an unbelievable conjecture in his heart, Ji Xuanqiu took a deep breath and strode into the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

Hua Yichen and the Soul Suppressing Douluo exchanged a glance, both harboring doubts, and followed closely behind.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda, the staff still had a trace of shock on their faces, as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.

Although the three, filled with doubt, noticed this scene, they paid no attention to it and headed straight for the conference room on the upper level of the Spirit Pagoda.

Along the way, the three encountered the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu and the Dragon God Douluo Gu Ruiqiu, who were traveling together. (Gu Ruiqiu: No need to emphasize the title!)

The two were talking in hushed tones when they saw Ji Xuanqiu and the other two. Leng Yaozhu nodded slightly and said, "Senior Ji, you've come too."

Because of the importance of this meeting, most of the high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda were present, and even people from the Abyss Passage came over. This was all thanks to Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin. Ever since they learned that the Douluo Federation had the ability to devour Abyss energy, the Abyss had stopped launching Abyss Tide.

Ji Xuanqiu nodded, "The Qian Gu Pagoda Master invited me—has everyone else arrived yet?"

"They've all arrived," Leng Yaozhu replied.

Hua Yichen arrived in Mingdu the latest of all. After all, Mingdu is located in the western part of the Douluo Continent, while he guards the East Sea Spirit Pagoda. The two are located in the east and west, spanning almost the entire continent, so it naturally took him more time to get here.

Before Hua Yichen arrived in Mingdu, all the Branch Pagoda Master had already arrived one after another. They, like the Soul Suppressing Douluo and Ji Xuanqiu who lived in Mingdu, stayed in the Spirit Pagoda or their residences in Mingdu, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Am I really the last one?

Hua Yichen smiled helplessly, but he was used to it and didn't pay much attention to it. He then asked, "I heard that His Majesty Huo Yuhao went to the Extreme North. Has he returned yet?"

Leng Yaozhu was about to shake her head and say she didn't know, when Gu Ruiqiu replied, "Before I met Tower Master Leng, I met Huo Yuhao and the others. They've already arrived. Huo Yuhao has gone to the top floor, and the others should have gone directly to the conference room—"

At this point, Gu Ruiqiu's voice lowered, and the scene of her previous encounter with Huo Yuhao and his group involuntarily surfaced in her mind, making her feel a chill run down her spine.

As one of the Four Great Spirit Envoys of the Spirit Pagoda, she naturally had to attend this meeting. Originally, she planned to wait with Gu Yuena for Huo Yuhao and the others to return before coming together, but Gu Yuena gave her a pitying look and said meaningfully, "You should go first; perhaps you can still avoid today."

At the time, she didn't understand the meaning of those words, until she bumped into Huo Yuhao and his group just now and saw Su Tong, Ye Guyi, and Ji Juechen standing there alive.

She understood instantly.

Those original members of the Spirit Pagoda she "spread rumors" about all those years ago are not dead at all! Huo Yuhao's departure from Mingdu this time is to go to the Extreme North to break the seal and awaken them!

This was something she never expected.

She was genuinely happy that these "old friends" were still alive, but at the same time felt deeply saddened by her impending situation.

Just now, Ye Guyi and Ji Juechen greeted her calmly when they saw her. But Su Tong was different— Su Tong gave her a look of sympathy mixed with resentment, making her feel very uncomfortable. She didn't dare to stay with them at all, so she left in a hurry and ran into Leng Yaozhu.

Undoubtedly, Su Tong was taught a lesson by Huo Yuhao, and she will most likely not escape Su Tong's retribution—after all, she added fuel to the fire and created many new versions based on the "Unofficial History" that Su Tong had fabricated.

But that's not the worst part.

What's even more terrifying is that more "victims" may return in the future, and the scene— Gu Ruiqiu simply doesn't dare to think about it.

"As expected, what goes around comes around!" Gu Ruiqiu sighed inwardly.

However, these things were clearly not something she could tell outsiders; she could only bear them silently.

When Hua Yichen and the others heard that Huo Yuhao and his group had arrived, they stopped asking questions and headed towards the conference room. Gu Ruiqiu also composed herself and silently followed behind. No matter how flustered she was, she couldn't miss today's meeting.

The group arrived at the thirtieth floor and saw three figures emerge from a lounge ahead, conversing.

They are Mind Image Douluo Han Tianyi, Fist Emperor Douluo, and Heavenly Maiden Douluo Ji Mengjie. (Note: In the original novel, Li Mengjie's personality changed drastically after being rejected by her beloved, turning her into a witch who enjoyed manipulating men and was known as the Witch Douluo. However, this situation did not occur in this book due to the changes Spirit Pagoda. As for the Titled Douluo Heavenly Maiden, it's because she liked to call herself a Heavenly Maiden in the original novel.)

Li Mengjie: "Isn't it too early for the Qian Gu Pagoda Master to abdicate now? His Majesty Huo Yuhao has made outstanding achievements, but he has no prior experience managing the Spirit Pagoda. Wouldn't it be better for him to accumulate some experience first?"

Although Huo Yuhao had previously served as Spirit Envoy, he had participated very little in the affairs of the Spirit Pagoda.

The Fist Emperor Douluo glanced at her. "What's the point of telling us this?"

Huo Yuhao saved his friend, and his achievements speak for themselves; in any case, he has no objection to Huo Yuhao inheriting the position of Tower Master.

Li Mengjie shrugged. "I can't possibly bring these things up in the meeting; doing so would be disrespectful to that person."

Han Tianyi smiled and said, "Don't worry. Since the Qian Gu Pagoda Master has made a decision, he must have his reasons. Besides, it's just a few matters, nothing difficult for a god."

Huo Yuhao isn't really an eighteen-year-old boy as he appears. His mental age is definitely older than theirs, and he's probably seen more of the world than they've ever had.

It's just a small matter; how could it possibly stump the other party?

Li Mengjie was silent for a moment, then nodded, but a trace of doubt remained on her face. "That's true, just a deity—"

She didn't have any issues with Huo Yuhao; it was just that she couldn't help but wonder about the intentions of a mysterious god who had succeeded as the Tower Master.

What was the purpose of this person joining the Spirit Pagoda and gradually gaining power? Where will they lead the Spirit Pagoda in the future?

Aside from those who have a good relationship with Huo Yuhao, others who don't know much about Huo Yuhao will inevitably have such doubts.

Just as Li Mengjie was about to voice her concerns, she caught a glimpse of several figures walking down the corridor out of the corner of her eye, and immediately swallowed the words she was about to say.

"Senior Ji."

Han Tianyi was the first to greet them, her tone respectful yet tinged with surprise.

He didn't expect that this person would also receive the notification and rush over.

Ji Xuanqiu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three faces before finally settling on Li Mengjie.

He opened his mouth as if to remind someone of something, but ultimately shook his head, saying only, "There are some things that are best not said in the meeting later."

If it were really as he imagined, he feared Li Mengjie would die on the spot.

"I understand." Li Mengjie nodded.

She hadn't originally planned to bring these words up at the meeting; it would be incredibly rude of her not to give Huo Yuhao face at the Tower Master's meeting.

Without further delay, the group quickly arrived at the conference room.

Before Ji Xuanqiu pushed open the door, he was still imagining various scenarios of questioning the Snow Empress, but he did not expect that three figures who only existed in history were sitting in the conference room at this moment.

Su Tong, Ye Guyi, Ji Juechen.

It's not a portrait, not a sculpture, but a living, breathing person who seems to have stepped out of history.

Ji Xuanqiu stopped at the doorway, her pupils shrinking sharply.

The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Hua Yichen, Han Tianyi, and the others behind him looked in the direction he was looking, and then froze in place.

"That is—" Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's voice was extremely low, but it couldn't hide his trembling, "Ancestor Su Tong, Ancestor Ye Guyi, and Ancestor Ji Juechen from Ten Thousand Years Ago? This—how is this possible?"

Hua Yichen, Han Tianyi, and the others did not answer, because they were speechless.

The Soul Suppressing Douluo suddenly understood why the staff on the first floor looked shocked.

Seeing this, Gu Ruiqiu suddenly felt much better—she wasn't the only one who had been frightened.

At this moment, quite a few people had arrived in the conference room. The Eighteen Heavenly Pillars Tower Master, the Four Great Spirit Envoys, and some retired elders—because Snow Empress and the others had only just arrived, not much earlier than Ji Xuanqiu and the others, most of the people present, like Hua Yichen and the others, were focused on those three figures, their faces filled with the same shock and disbelief.

Those faces, those temperaments, are exactly the same as the portraits passed down through generations in the historical records of the Spirit Pagoda.

But how is that possible?

How could people from Ten Thousand Years Ago still be alive?

At Qian Gu Die Ting's insistence, Qian Gu Qingfeng, who had also participated in the meeting, wanted to ask a question, but for a moment he didn't know how to start.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Even Xiong Jun and Myriad Demon King Soul Fighting, who had not received prior notice, showed a hint of shock in their eyes.

It was already surprising enough that Huo Yuhao had lived for Ten Thousand Years, but they never expected that these original members would also be alive today.

But how did they manage to do that?

Bi Ji's gaze fell on Snow Empress and Gu Yuena, who had brought them in, hoping to get an answer from them.

Just then, Ji Xuanqiu spoke in a dry voice, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Sword Fanatic —Ancestor?"

If he had some doubts about the existence of the three ancestors when he learned from the Soul Suppressing Douluo that they appeared in the Extreme North, then...

So, when the three of them appeared at the important meeting of the Spirit Pagoda, sitting upright in the seats representing the Spirit Pagoda's higher-ups—

All doubts seemed to have vanished, but he still wanted to get an answer from the other party.

Upon hearing the sound, Ji Juechen raised his eyes and his gaze fell on Ji Xuanqiu. He sensed the extremely powerful yet restrained and unadorned Sword Intent emanating from the other party, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, a sword aura, based on Divine Power and condensed to the Ultimate, Formless and intangible, yet it landed precisely in front of Ji Xuanqiu.

This naturally couldn't harm Ji Xuanqiu, whose cultivation and Sword Dao were superior to Ji Juechen's. However, he didn't deal with the attack casually. In everyone's eyes, it seemed as if an unparalleled sword light flashed and disappeared from Ji Xuanqiu's body, touching the essence of the sword. The Sword Intent vanished in an instant, but it made many people present feel a faint stinging pain.

"Is this the realm of the Sword God?"

Ji Juechen savored the sword light, a sense of enlightenment washing over him. However, unusually, he didn't completely immerse himself in the Sword Dao. Instead, he looked up at Ji Xuanqiu, nodded slightly, and said with a hint of satisfaction, "Not bad. You—have already surpassed your teacher."

They were, after all, his juniors, and he couldn't help but care. Naturally, he was happy to see them surpass him.

Ji Juechen's words seemed to answer everything.

Hua Yichen, Leng Yaozhu, and the others suddenly felt their heads buzzing.

Their ancestors, the forefathers of the Spirit Pagoda, truly miraculously came to this era from Ten Thousand Years Ago!

"Thank you for the praise, Ancestor Sword Fanatic."

Ji Xuanqiu took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and bowed deeply to Ji Juechen, Su Tong, and Ye Guyi, his voice loud and solemn. "Junior Ji Xuanqiu greets the three ancestors!"

Inside the hall, everyone from the Spirit Pagoda, except for those on the Soul Beast Side, seemed to awaken from a dream upon seeing this. They all stood up and bowed to the three figures, saying, "We greet the three ancestors!"

The sounds rose and fell, converging into a tide that echoed throughout the conference hall.

Meanwhile, the Soul Beast Side also solemnly rose and paid their respects to their old friends from ten Ten Thousand Years Ago in their own unique way.

Su Tong waved her hand, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "Alright, alright, no need to be so formal, please sit down."

You're all being so serious now; what will happen when the teacher's identity is revealed?

Ji Juechen nodded. "Please sit down."

With the ancestor speaking, Ji Xuanqiu could only straighten up, exchange a glance with Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Hua Yichen, and the others, whose eyes still held a trace of shock, just like the staff on the first floor, and then silently took his seat.

At this moment, Qian Gu Qingfeng also came to his senses and looked at Su Tong and the other two, "Three ancestors—in history, you did not become gods, so why were you able to—"

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood what he meant and turned their attention to Su Tong.

"You'll understand in a moment." Su Tong blinked, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Upon hearing this, everyone could only suppress their doubts and excitement at seeing their predecessors, and quietly wait for the meeting to begin.

After taking their seats, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Hua Yichen, and the others realized that the seating arrangement for this meeting was different from usual.

The conference table in the meeting room is a long table, with the head seat in the middle empty.

On the left are Snow Empress, Su Tong, Ye Guyi, Ji Juechen, and Xiao Bai.

On the right are Gu Yuena, Di Tian, Bi Ji, and Xiong Jun.

In the past, the seating arrangements were basically determined by one's status and strength within the Spirit Pagoda, but this time there is clearly a different system.

The left and right sides seem to represent the two major components of the Spirit Pagoda —the Extreme North and the Star Dou —which is quite similar to the arrangement of the original Spirit Pagoda in history. (Su Tong, Ye Guyi, and Snow Empress belonged to the same faction Ten Thousand Years Ago.)

"Is it because of the three ancestors?" Leng Yaozhu wondered to herself.

Perhaps it was the return of Su Tong and the other two that restored the seating arrangement to its original state from Ten Thousand Years Ago.

only----

Leng Yaozhu's gaze fell on Gu Yuena, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

If that's the case, then why is Na'er sitting in the first position on the right, before Di Tian?

Although no one would object to Gu Yuena sitting there given her strength and status, it still felt somewhat incongruous.

Ji Xuanqiu had similar doubts to Leng Yaozhu, but he didn't pay too much attention to them.

When he saw that the seating arrangement at the meeting was similar to that of Ten Thousand Years Ago, a certain conjecture in his mind became clearer.

His excitement at seeing Ji Juechen and the other two was now even more difficult to calm down.

Perhaps—today he will witness history!

With that thought in mind, Ji Xuanqiu's gaze fell on the doorway, waiting for that figure to appear.

The Soul Suppressing Douluo noticed his gaze and, recalling the intelligence report about Huo Yuhao appearing with the three ancestors, seemed to understand something. His pupils contracted sharply, and he stared intently at the doorway.

Some people vaguely guessed something was amiss from their unusual behavior and other clues, while others, unaware of the inside story, were filled with doubt and felt the atmosphere today was particularly strange.

In this strange atmosphere, time slowly passed.

As the scheduled meeting time approached, all other attendees had arrived. At the same time, three figures appeared at the door.

It was none other than Huo Yuhao and his father, Qian Gu.

As soon as Qian Gu Die Ting and Qian Gu Dong Feng entered the conference room, they noticed Su Tong and the other two, and immediately understood the meaning behind Huo Yuhao's earlier words.

With mixed feelings, they bowed to the three men and then took their seats.

However, Qian Gu Dong Feng, the current Tower Master, did not sit in the first seat to preside over the subsequent Tower Master handover ceremony. Instead, he sat below. This scene puzzled many people who were unaware of the inside story.

Just then, Su Tong looked at Huo Yuhao and her cheerful voice reached everyone's ears, "Teacher, everyone is here, let's begin."

"Teacher?!"

These two words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge upheaval.

Inside the hall, many people stared wide-eyed at Su Tong in disbelief, then abruptly turned to Huo Yuhao.

Su Tong, the second tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, the Frost Douluo, a founding member of the Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years ago, and a disciple of the first tower master, actually calls Huo Yuhao "teacher"?

Could it be that...

A staff member responsible for taking notes dropped her pen onto the table without even noticing.

Leng Yaozhu her mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time, staring blankly at Huo Yuhao.

The thought of that possibility made Hua Yichen's eyelids twitch uncontrollably, and his mind went completely blank.

Ji Xuanqiu's pupils contracted sharply, and then a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

really.

His suspicions were finally confirmed at this moment.

Huo Yuhao glanced helplessly at the smiling Su Tong, shook his head slightly, and walked towards the long-vacant head seat.

He calmly took his seat, with Gu Yuena and Snow Empress on his left and right respectively. The three original members sat upright on the left, while Di Tian and the others stood solemnly on the right.

Huo Yuhao's gaze swept across the audience; some had complex expressions, some couldn't hide their shock, and some were unable to contain their excitement.

"You may already understand. According to the rules of the Spirit Pagoda's lineage, you can call me Spirit Pagoda Douluo, but I prefer you to call me - Ling Bing!"

Calm words came from Huo Yuhao's mouth, and as the last two words fell, an Ultimate chill spread from Huo Yuhao, and the temperature in the entire conference hall plummeted, as if even the space itself was about to freeze.

Amidst this chill, nine figures appeared out of thin air beside him.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Ice Empress, Evil Emperor, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Li Ya, and several other Soul Spirit all appeared without exception.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hovered in mid-air, gleaming with golden light, watching the assembled high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda with a delighted expression. It certainly didn't want to miss such a scene.

The nine Soul Spirit appeared together, their oppressive aura sweeping across the entire hall like a tidal wave, intertwining and resonating with the chill of the Ultimate Ice.

Everyone snapped out of their shock, their gazes immediately fixed on the figure in the head seat.

Qian Gu Dong Feng took a deep breath, was the first to stand up, and said excitedly, "Junior Qian Gu Dong Feng respectfully welcomes the return of Spirit Ice Ancestor!"

Having thoroughly understood the situation Tower Master, Spirit Envoy, and elders rose one by one, bowed, and lowered their heads.

The sounds of clothes brushing the ground, chairs shifting, and suppressed breathing merged into a silent wave.

"Welcome back, Spirit Ice Ancestor!"

Among them, Li Mengjie, who had previously had some doubts about Huo Yuhao's succession to the position of Tower Master, shouted the loudest and was the most excited. If the timing hadn't been wrong, she would have even wanted to shout "Spirit Ice Ancestor has returned! The Holy Spirit Cult and the Abyss Plane are nothing but clay chickens and dogs!" to show that she had absolutely no disrespect for her ancestor.

The sounds rose and fell, gradually converging into a unified wave that Jiujiu in the conference hall.

Although Hua Yichen's mind was still blank, he did not fall behind and bowed along with everyone else.

He still feels as if he's in a dream—the talent he personally brought into the Spirit Pagoda, the person he once guided, was not only a deity, but also the Spirit Ice Ancestor founded the Spirit Pagoda and the Soul Spirit System?

He instructed the creator of the Soul Spirit to contract with the Soul Spirit?

This fact left him both amused and exasperated. Thinking back on his past interactions with Huo Yuhao, he felt incredibly embarrassed and wished he could disappear into the ground on the spot.

But at the same time, an indescribable joy and excitement quietly rose in my heart.

After all, he was the first high-ranking member of the Spirit Pagoda to meet the returning ancestor!

This honor makes any embarrassment seem insignificant. Thinking of this, a smile unconsciously appeared on Hua Yichen's lips.

After Ji Xuanqiu bowed, he looked up at Huo Yuhao, feeling a surge of emotion.

Ten Thousand Years have passed, Ling Bing has returned.

Today is destined to be recorded in history!