" Pill Tower Ancestor?"
Upon hearing Huo Zhu's words, Xiao Yan's expression immediately turned to astonishment, followed by a helpless bitter smile. The Pill Tower was a true behemoth on the continent, and its Pill Tower Ancestor was an even more transcendent being. He himself had not even seen the face of the Xiao Clan yet, let alone someone of the former's status. It could be said that Huo Zhu's words were completely irrelevant.
"Indeed, Pill Tower Ancestor has traveled the continent and witnessed many secrets that others cannot know. If there are still Heavenly Flames in the Central Region, I believe he will know. As long as you can meet him, it shouldn't be difficult to obtain information about Heavenly Flames."
The Huo Zhu smiled and nodded, saying...
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan could only shrug helplessly, temporarily ignoring this point. Regardless of whether the Pill Tower Ancestor knew about it, Xiao Yan admitted that he couldn't even meet him, let alone anything else.
"Well..."
Since there's no news of other Heavenly Flames, it seems his cultivation will be difficult to improve for a long time to come. Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh. Without Heavenly Flames, how could he avenge Xiao Yi Xian? The Tribulation Crossing Sect is, after all, a super power in the Central Region with a rich foundation. As Origin Emperor, Xu Zhen's treatment within the sect is naturally not low. If things continue like this, Xu Zhen might become an insurmountable opponent before he even grows up. Coupled with the Tribulation Crossing Sect and the soul body within him, all of these things put immense pressure on Xiao Yan.
After this battle, Xiao Yi Xian perished, and he and the Tribulation Crossing Sect had reached a point of irreconcilable enmity. However, in the present day, such words are merely empty talk. To avenge Xiao Yi Xian, what is needed is more than just courage.
Without the Heavenly Flames, even with Xiao Yan's cultivation speed, it would be difficult for him to kill Xu Zhen and avenge him, even if he were to do so for another ten years.
Is this how it ends?
With a heavy heart, all Xiao Yan could think of was the Xiao Clan.
This unfamiliar family, whose connection with him remains unknown, might become a cornerstone for his rapid growth, but the truth of the matter will have to wait until Xiao Yan arrives at the Xiao Clan.
Therefore, it seems that the Xiao Clan cannot be trusted either.
"Hehe, little guy, why worry so much? Although other Heavenly Flames can't be found for the time being, there's one right in front of you right now."
Just as Xiao Yan was feeling troubled, Huo Zhu chuckled and said...
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression immediately froze, then he shook his head and smiled wistfully.
"Senior, you flatter me. You have saved me twice. How could I dare to set my sights on you? Besides, you are the Grand Elder of the Cloud Immortal Sect. If something were to happen to you, it would be difficult to explain to the Cloud Immortal Sect."
"Haha, I admire your kind and grateful nature. You don't need to worry about me. The Cloud Immortal Sect will take care of things. You only need to do one thing for me."
Huo Zhu chuckled softly as he took out a somewhat rusty badge from his Storage Ring and handed it to Xiao Yan.
Upon holding the badge, one immediately sensed its weight, and its slightly antique design suggested it was quite old. However, aside from that, Xiao Yan couldn't discern anything particularly special about it.
"Senior, what is this...?"
"This badge is something I made a promise with an old friend. Now the time has come to return it to him, and all you need to do is hand it to him personally on my behalf."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. Since it was an item agreed upon with his old friend, it should logically be returned by Huo Zhu himself. He certainly couldn't simply take it. A thought flashed through his mind, and Xiao Yan was about to return it to Huo Zhu when the latter raised his hand to stop him, saying:
"I haven't seen that old friend for many years. If I were to return it myself, I can't guarantee he wouldn't try to take my body. So, I'll leave this badge with you for now. If you meet him in the future, you can return it to him. Remember, his name is Liu Ya. If you encounter him in the future, you must not be careless."
At the end, Huo Zhu cautiously offered a reminder.
When Xiao Yan heard the name Liu Ya, he immediately thought of the old man from Liu Cang City in the Southern Region. However, he also knew that although they shared the same name, since Liu Ya was someone Huo Zhu had mentioned, his cultivation level must not be too bad. So he nodded slightly, secretly memorized the name, and then gripped the somewhat rusty badge in his hand. After a slight hesitation, he put it back into his Storage Ring.
Seeing Xiao Yan put the badge into his Storage Ring, Huo Zhu nodded, then changed the subject and said with a smile:
"By the way, you haven't answered my question yet. Do you know what's ranked number one on the Heavenly Cloud Sacred Artifact Ranking?"
Previously, Xiao Yan had been so focused on asking about the Heavenly Flames that he had completely ignored Huo Zhu's words. Now, upon hearing them again, Xiao Yan's expression froze for a moment, and his gaze returned to the black stone tablet in front of him. The first position on it was clearly empty, so why did Huo Zhu ask such a question?
After a long silence without any result, Xiao Yan could only shake his head with a wry smile, bow slightly to the old man before him, and respectfully say:
I hope you can enlighten me, senior.
Upon hearing this, Huo Zhu immediately grinned, his cloudy old eyes glancing again at the stone tablet behind him. Then, he slowly raised his head, gazing at the azure sky above. The latter also looked up, then met Huo Zhu's gaze. Seeing the meaningful look in Huo Zhu's eyes, Xiao Yan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and exclaim in surprise:
"Is it the sky?!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Zhu smiled but didn't offer any further explanation. Just as Xiao Yan was filled with suspicion, Huozhu said:
"Alright, that's all I'll say for now. You'll find out what this is in the future. It's been two months; you should get some rest. Come back to me when you're all ready."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan lowered his eyelids slightly, then nodded gently. He then bowed to the old man, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and retreated.
Watching Xiao Yan's departing figure, Huo Zhu couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He turned around and looked at the black stone tablet in front of him again, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.
A moment later, when Xiao Yan returned to his residence, he found Xiao Jin waiting for him alone. As he entered, Xiao Yan was surprised to see that Xiao Jin was holding two energy crystals emitting a purple light in his hands...