Night fell, the silver moon hung high, and the faint moonlight poured down from the night sky, like a huge silver veil, enveloping the entire Xiao Clan in moonlight.
On the top floor of the pavilion, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and his hands forming a cultivation seal. With each breath he took, visible strands of energy emanated from the surrounding void and flowed into his body with each breath.
After a long while, the free-floating energy around him gradually subsided. Xiao Yan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and after a moment, he opened his eyes, exhaled the stale air that had been trapped in his chest, and his entire condition instantly returned to its peak.
The continuous journey, coupled with today's battle with Xiao Chuhang, had left him feeling increasingly exhausted, even though he hadn't expended much energy. Only now did his originally sallow complexion regain its rosy hue, and his eyes, in the darkness, seemed strangely enveloped in a layer of warm jade.
"Hmph... Xiao Clan, let's hope we don't let our ancestors down."
A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, and he murmured something in a rather sinister tone before looking up at the dark sky before him.
High in the night sky, countless stars shone, and a bright moon hung in the sky, radiating its brilliance. Although it was night, the scene on the earth below was clearly visible, unlike daytime, but it had its own unique charm.
Xiao Yan stared blankly at the night sky. In a daze, the stars seemed to outline a peerless beauty who could topple kingdoms, with a faint smile that inspired endless imagination.
" Xun'er..."
Memories of the past flashed through my mind, and everything that happened back then now seems like it was just yesterday.
However, Xiao Yan dared not imagine Xun'er's current situation, fearing that his lingering affection would instantly transform it into the most violent killing intent.
" The Ghost Hall, it's all your fault, and..."
As a chilling killing intent surged within him, Xiao Yan suddenly flipped his hand, and a palm-sized, emerald-green Ancient Jade appeared in his palm—it was none other than the Xiao Yan Tou She Ancient God Jade!
With his eyes fixed on the Ancient Jade in his palm, Xiao Yan's hatred grew stronger, and his bent fingers seemed to want to crush the Ancient Jade. After all, all of this started because of this!
"Well..."
After a long while, Xiao Yan finally sighed with a bitter expression, flipped his hand, and stored the Ancient Jade back into his Storage Ring.
Even with all the resentment in his heart, the Tou She Ancient God Jade was still his most important bargaining chip to rescue Xun'er. Any impulsive actions would only make the latter more dangerous.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan shook his head violently, clearing his mind of distractions, and then returned to his meditative state.
As things stand, the Ghost Gate is still a rather distant concept for him. Rather than worrying about it, he should focus all his attention on the immediate future: how to improve his own strength. That is the most important thing.
Even if you want to save people, you need to have sufficient strength as a prerequisite.
The next day, as Xiao Yan descended from the pavilion, Bai Hua and Lian'er, who were gathered around the table in the hall, immediately turned their gazes toward him. They exchanged a smile, and then, from the courtyard outside the door, a series of light footsteps drew the attention of all three of them.
When the three men looked in that direction, the newcomer was none other than Xiao Mingyuan.
"Third Elder!"
Xiao Yan hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects, followed closely by Bai Hua and the other two.
"Haha, little one, we meet again. I think you already know about what the clan leader announced yesterday, right?"
Xiao Mingyuan chuckled as he swept his gaze over the three people in front of him. Xiao Yan was self-evident, but Bai Hua and Lian'er behind him also raised their eyebrows after a brief glance, a look of surprise appearing in their old eyes. Fortunately, he didn't show it too much.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. Then, he saw Xiao Mingyuan take a Storage Ring off his finger and hand it over.
"This is your monthly payment. Besides this month's, it also includes all the monthly payments from the past two years. As for the rest, you can check them yourself."
Looking at the Storage Ring handed to him, Xiao Yan accepted it without hesitation. If it had been yesterday, he certainly wouldn't have taken it so easily. But since he was already willing to join the Xiao Clan, this monthly offering should rightfully belong to him, so there was no need for hesitation.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Mingyuan's eyes lit up. He knew Xiao Yan's personality to some extent. Even with the Xiao Clan's forceful invitation yesterday, he hadn't agreed. Naturally, he wouldn't accept such a small monthly allowance so readily. Something must have happened last night. Immediately, he thought of Xiao Xuan.
"By the way, where's Xiao Xuan? He doesn't seem to be here."
With his current cultivation level, Xiao Mingyuan had already sensed that Xiao Xuan was not there when he entered the pavilion.
"Our ancestor went to cultivate in the back mountain."
A glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, but he said nonchalantly.
While it's called cultivation, the real purpose is to refine the last half of the Origin Return Mantra. If luck is on his side, perhaps once this half is refined, Xiao Xuan's cultivation will reach the Yuan Zong level. At that time, Xiao Yan wants to see what kind of expressions those arrogant Xiao Clan elders will have on their faces.
"Oh, is that so? I was quite impressed by his display of Power of the Great Dao yesterday, and I was still eager for more. I was thinking of sparring with him, hoping he could perhaps offer some pointers on my Power of the Great Dao. But since that's the case, then let's forget about it."
The old man chuckled teasingly, looking with amusement at the bewildered expressions on the faces of the three people before him. Then, changing his tone, he continued:
"By the way, little one, since you're staying in the clan now, perhaps you could try participating in the clan gathering in six months. The gathering includes most of the outstanding young members of the clan. Although it might not be very appealing to you, the rewards are quite attractive. The first place winner will receive twenty Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone!"
As he finished speaking, Xiao Mingyuan deliberately emphasized his words, and unsurprisingly, the reward for first place caused the three people in front of him to change their expressions instantly.
"Twenty Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eye muscles twitched involuntarily. Recalling the past, with the help of the two Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone given to him by Xiao Jin, his cultivation level had increased by three stars. One could imagine what a huge cultivation resource these twenty Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone would be!