Chapter 201: Old Man

Ye Xiaotian was somewhat amazed. Was he truly a Grandmaster now?

He remembered that the last time he saw this kid, his cultivation and physique seemed ordinary. He didn't expect that in such a short time, just after the Heavenly Xuan Gate incident, he would have made such a qualitative leap.

Elder Sang had chosen his disciple well!

He was a bit eccentric, but sometimes, an unexpected move could still lead to success, right?

Ye Xiaotian thought of Lei Shuangxing; if it weren't for Xu Xiaoshou's unconventional methods, it would have been truly difficult for anyone else to break the deadlock.

"Alright, you two, hurry back and hide. The Spirit Palace is in a critical state right now; don't come out easily," Ye Xiaotian said, regaining his composure and looking at the young man and woman before him.

The matter with Lei Shuangxing had been resolved, but the blind man, when all was said and done, was only a minor figure at the Grandmaster level.

The individual who appeared at the Spirit Palace's main gate, and the masked person whose whereabouts were unknown, were the true priorities.

*Buzz—*

As if to confirm Ye Xiaotian's words, the Spirit Palace's grand formation suddenly shimmered, giving a sensation of heaven and earth shattering.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a pang of fear and quickly nodded, watching Ye Xiaotian leave with the unconscious individuals.

Presumably, he had gone to the formation's entrance to assist Elder Qiao and the others!

"What kind of person requires so many Thrones to be dispatched and still can't be apprehended?" Xu Xiaoshou felt a sense of trepidation. The "Holy Servants'" power was truly astonishing...

"Where are we going?" Mu Zixi asked, looking at her Senior Brother with a hint of confusion. She wanted to return to the Spirit Nexus, but it no longer felt safe.

"Are you over your fever?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't answer directly. Instead, he touched her forehead and was surprised to find that she had indeed recovered. This...

"You're joking, right? Your fever was so strange."

Mu Zixi shyly pushed his hand away. "What fever?"

"You don't know?"

The young girl looked bewildered.

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless for a moment. It seemed she really didn't know?

He thought back to the moment Mu Zixi had stared, resolving Ye Xiaotian's predicament. If it weren't for that stare, it would have been hard to turn the situation around.

"Do you have some kind of story?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"What story?" Mu Zixi blinked her large eyes, still looking puzzled.

Xu Xiaoshou sighed and gave up. He couldn't tell if she was genuinely ignorant or just pretending.

"Never mind. Let's grab a drink sometime if we get the chance."

Mu Zixi: "..."

"I'm not an adult yet!"

Xu Xiaoshou eyed her up and down. "Heh, I can tell."

"Received a curse, Passive Point, ."

"Let's go. We'll hide in the Spirit Storage Pavilion first and see if that old geezer is there." Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Spirit Palace's grand formation, which was flickering with increasing frequency in the sky, and couldn't help but feel worried.

"Hope nothing major happens!"

The Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace stood atop a mountain range, occupying the most spiritually vibrant and picturesque land in the entire county. Its main gate faced east, drawing in the purple energy of heaven and earth, nourishing the Spirit Palace's ley lines.

The mountain was surrounded by ethereal mists, with spirit cranes gracefully soaring, truly appearing like a celestial court to ordinary people.

To the common folk, Spirit Cultivators were like enlightened immortals or gods.

But below the mountain at the entrance of the Spirit Palace, lay numerous wailing "immortals" and "gods" – the various law enforcement officers!

Amidst the widespread lamentations, a slightly hunched old man slowly walked forth.

He looked like an ordinary elder who frequently ventured into the mountains, carrying a shoulder pole and with a small iron axe tucked into his waist.

If there was anything seemingly missing, it was perhaps the two bundles of firewood at either end of his pole!

However, those lying on the ground, seeing him approach, moved in terror to clear a path, looking at this kindly-faced old man as if they were witnessing their most terrifying nightmare.

The old man wore a warm smile. Though the mountain path was rugged, he moved with remarkable speed. He casually used his shoulder pole to whack a black-clad individual who was attempting to get up again, burying him into the ground. Only then did he let out a hearty laugh.

"You little brats are quite impressive. To have such cultivation at such a young age, your future is promising!"

"Back in my day, when I was your age, I knew nothing. I just carried an axe, went up and down the mountain every day cutting firewood, toiling for a living. Alas, now that I think about it..."

With a nostalgic expression, his tone sharpened as he said, "I truly miss the days when I didn't have to fight and kill!"

A black-clad man whose face was swollen like a pig's head hurriedly crawled away from his path, but because he was too slow, he was directly sent flying into the sky by the shoulder pole.

A figure landed, raising dust.

Everyone's hearts trembled, and they involuntarily looked at themselves. Each of them was either pig-headed or bloated...

All thanks to that shoulder pole!

The old man stopped. He had reached the mountaintop, where five figures stood before him:

Xiao Qixiu, Qiao Qianzhi, Jiang Bianyan, and two white-haired Spirit Palace elders.

The five Great Thrones!

"Haha, what a pity, what a pity..."

Facing the imposing five, the old man burst into laughter. He casually placed his shoulder pole on the ground, causing even the Spirit Palace's grand formation to tremor.

"What's a pity?"

Qiao Qianzhi's expression was grave. The deterrent force this old man exuded was truly terrifying.

He finally understood why Xiao Qixiu had called for reinforcements; even the five of them together might not be his match!

"A pity for those two..."

The old man pointed at the two white-haired elders. "Two young lads at their age, why did their hair turn white so early? If this isn't a pity, what is?"

Everyone present was stunned. Young lads?

To call two elders "young lads"—they must have lived for over a hundred years! This old man...

Was he saying this intentionally, or was he truly old enough to refer to them as "young lads" in comparison to himself?

The two elders instantly flared up in anger. This was the first time they had encountered such an arrogant person. Did he really think that just because his own hair was still black, he could do as he pleased?

"Don't attack!"

Xiao Qixiu stopped them in time and turned to Jiang Bianyan. "Does Hall Master Jiang recognize this elder?"

Jiang Bianyan had been scrutinizing him for a long time but still couldn't make him out.

As the Hall Master of a branch of the Holy Divine Palace, his connections and experience were vast. While he couldn't claim to know every Throne on the continent, he certainly knew more than half.

Yet, he had absolutely no impression of the person before him.

"I don't recognize him. I know most Thrones from the past hundred years, but this person..."

"Haha, the past hundred years?"

The old man's laughter interrupted Jiang Bianyan's words. He continued, "I might have been living in seclusion in the mountains for over a hundred years already. Do you recognize those from before a hundred years ago?"

He held his shoulder pole, his face expectant, seemingly very concerned about whether any of the younger generation still recognized his name.

The five were simultaneously startled.

"Over a hundred years?"