Chapter 206: Host and Guest Reversed

"Old Ancestor, are you okay?"

Seeing Yunhe descend, He Yuanlin was the first to go up and greet him.

"It's fine."

Yunhe waved his hand, his expression calm and composed.

This made He Yuanlin and the other He Clan cultivators let out a long sigh of relief.

As long as the Old Ancestor is safe, nothing else matters.

They had finally seen new hope for the He Clan, and they couldn't let anything go wrong now.

Back when the He Clan had two Golden Core cultivators, He Wen and He Yao, they were at their peak, and when He Yao broke through to mid‑Golden Core, the clan reached its zenith.

But good times didn't last; He Yao disappeared mysteriously, the Old Ancestor He Wen's lifespan was running out, and the He Clan fell instantly from a premier cultivation family to the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, the Old Ancestor He Wen broke through the bottleneck that had constrained him for over a century, reaching mid‑Golden Core before his death, giving the He Clan a new chance.

"Old Ancestor, the two Golden Core elders of the Liu and Wang clans—" He Yuanlin, having just let out a sigh of relief, couldn't help but ask.

Yunhe glanced at the ever‑following He Yuanlin and spoke in a calm tone, as if nothing had happened:

"Dead."

"Dead—dead?!"

He Yuanlin froze on the spot, staring blankly at Yunhe's slowly retreating back as he entered the council hall, his heart in turmoil.

Although he wasn't a Golden Core cultivator, he knew that while it was easy for Golden Core cultivators to decide a winner, killing an opponent was no easy feat.

Even though Yunhe had mid‑Golden Core cultivation, giving him a considerable advantage in cultivation base,

but he was facing not one, but two Golden Core cultivators.

Moreover, at most only half an hour had passed since the overcast skies appeared.

Could they have slain the Liu and Wang clans' Golden Core cultivators that quickly?

Little did they know.

If Yunhe wished, he could have done it much faster; but this was also his first time using the Beast Soul Banner artifact, so he wanted to test how well it had been refined over the years, which is why it took half an hour.

Likewise, the He Clan cultivators who had overheard Yunhe and He Yuanlin's brief exchange were also shocked beyond measure.

The Old Ancestor actually killed two Golden Core cultivators so cleanly?

Is this still the same Old Ancestor whom outsiders mock behind his back as the "Old Turtle"?

To be honest.

Whether it was He Yuanlin or the other He Clan cultivators, they all realized they hardly recognized their own Old Ancestor anymore.

Were it not for the ancestral tablets in the hall pointing to the Old Ancestor's residence during the decennial ancestor‑worship rites, they might have suspected he'd been possessed.

They didn't know that the spirit tablets in the ancestral hall had been replaced by Yunhe thirty years ago.

Soon after, everyone quickly reacted.

Slaying the Liu and Wang clans' Golden Core elders was no small matter, but the real trouble might be the hostility they'd face from those two clans going forward.

Those two dead Golden Core cultivators were only at the early stage, while each of those two clans actually has mid‑Golden Core cultivators!

Can the Old Ancestor stand up to two mid‑Golden Core cultivators?

They didn't know.

But at this moment, these things were no longer what they needed to consider.

"Come in."

Yunhe's voice came from inside the council hall; everyone shuddered and entered obediently.

"Old Ancestor!"

All the He Clan cultivators bowed in unison and shouted respectfully.

"He Yuanlin." Yunhe's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on the clan chief, He Yuanlin.

"Old Ancestor!" Upon hearing that, He Yuanlin hurried forward.

"Is this the second time?" Yunhe, seated high, rested his head on his hand, glanced askance at him, and said lightly.

"Second time?"

He Yuanlin couldn't immediately grasp what Yunhe meant.

But he quickly realized the Old Ancestor was talking about the traitor and spy within the clan.

Last time Yunhe went out, he was intercepted by Golden Core cultivators from the Liu, Wang, and Wang clans; this time two clans' Golden Core cultivators simply marched straight to the door—clearly there must still be a traitor in the He Clan.

"Thud!"

He Yuanlin dropped to his knees, face full of panic, opened his mouth to say something, but then heard Yunhe speak again.

"Three strikes and you're out—this is your last chance. If there's a next time, the clan chief's seat will go to someone else."

Anyway, to Yunhe it didn't matter much who held the position of He Clan chief.

Giving him another chance was merely because, up to now, He Yuanlin had done a decent job and had diligently helped gather all those materials.

"Yes, yes! Old Ancestor, Yuanlin understands!"

He Yuanlin hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied in a low voice.

"Alright, you handle things here; I'll go meet those three old fogies."

With that, Yunhe vanished once more into the council hall.

"Those three old fogies?"

"The Liu and Wang clans' Golden Core cultivators?"

"How did they get here so fast?"

"But why three?"

After Yunhe left, He Yuanlin slowly rose to his feet, his eyes like those of a man-eating beast, and fixed on a He Clan Foundation Establishment cultivator inside the hall.

On a mountain outside the He Clan's mountain-protecting grand formation.

Yunhe suddenly appeared here.

He first glanced at the horizon, then waved his sleeve; as a surge of magical power flowed out, the ground on the mountaintop underwent a change, and under a slow writhing, it turned into a platform.

Afterwards, rocks within the soil layer slowly emerged, piecing together into a stone table and three stools.

Yunhe lightly tapped his storage bag, and four puppets comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared here, brewing spiritual tea under his gaze.

Yunhe merely sat lightly on a stool and said with a smile:

"Gentlemen, since you've come, why not share a cup of tea?"

After a brief silence.

"Fellow Daoist He, you're hiding quite deeply."

Suddenly, a cultivator playing with an iron ball appeared—indeed, it was the Mid Jie Dan cultivator of the Wang Clan, Wang Lou.

Clearly, he regarded Yunhe as hiding his cultivation base.

Last time he had already sensed Yunhe's divine sense comparable to Mid Jie Dan; although he felt some doubt, he didn't think of concealment, merely assuming that the He Clan's elders, having lived so many years, could have somewhat strong divine sense, which was barely understandable.

But now, in his view, it's likely that Yunhe had concealed Mid Jie Dan cultivation back then.

As for saying breakthrough before lifespan exhaustion?

Only they know best that when a cultivator's cultivation base has only its final time left, the body withers and the spirit dims; even in perfect condition one cannot break through, so how could one break through on the brink of death?

They really thought it was a performance.

At the same time, Yunhe's act of brewing tea and inviting them also made his expression complex.

Last time, he invited Yunhe to tea relying on his Mid Jie Dan cultivation; now, host and guest have reversed.

Nevertheless, he sat down honestly in front of Yunhe.

However, the other two were not so easy to talk to.

These two are naturally the Mid Jie Dan elders of the Liu and Wang Clans.

They stared at Yunhe with fierce eyes, their magical power surging without cease.

"He Wen!!"

The person who squeezed the sound from his teeth resembled Wang Fengbai by about fifty to sixty percent.

Obviously he is another Jie Dan cultivator of the Wang Clan, possessing Mid Jie Dan cultivation—Wang Fengsong.

Seeing him clasp his hands together, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped; six-petaled ice-crystal snowflakes condensed out of thin air, and then a frost-covered ring was released by him, the temperature that had already dropped a few degrees plummeted another few degrees.

Seeing this, Yunhe's brow slightly twitched.

It is actually a rare ice-attribute spiritual root?

But he was not flustered; he merely looked at Wang Lou sitting opposite and asked with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, is this to be a life-and-death feud with me?"

Wang Lou's face was full of resignation as he lightly sighed, "Fellow Daoist He, these two cannot be stopped by a single word from me."

Although the Liu and Wang Clans are inferior to the Wang Clan, being fellow Mid Jie Dan cultivators, Wang Lou could not possibly make the two cease hostilities with just a sentence.

If the Late Jie Dan cultivator of the Wang Clan were to arrive here, there might still be a chance.

He continued, "There's no way; after all, the deceased are the Jie Dan cultivators of the two clans, and Wang Fengbai is even the younger brother of Fellow Daoist Wang."

"Oh?" Yunhe chuckled lowly, "Then regarding my nephew's matter, may I also make use of this?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lou stared, then lightly sighed again, "It seems Fellow Daoist He is aware."

At the same time.

Wang Fengsong's Xuanbing Ring also came smashing toward Yunhe without hesitation; a path of ice, reflecting splendid hues under the setting sun, appeared out of thin air, starting from that Xuanbing Ring, resembling an ice dragon soaring across the sky.

Yunhe also ended his conversation with Wang Lou; terrifying magical power surged forth as he pinched a seal and sacrificed the Earth-Thick Cauldron.

And under the trend of his seal and magical power, the Earth-Thick Cauldron also gave rise to a misty earthen qi, transforming into a yellow dragon of earthen hue with two wings.

In the next instant.

The ice dragon and the yellow dragon collided in midair, instantly erupting with a tremendous roar and terrifying shockwave.

Hmm?

Seeing the collision of these two nearly evenly matched magical treasures and techniques, Wang Lou, Wang Fengsong, and the Mid Jie Dan cultivator of the Liu Clan were somewhat surprised.

But it also made Wang Lou's speculation more certain by a degree.

"He Wen" is merely concealing his strength; this person likely broke through Mid Jie Dan long ago, for he makes few moves and mostly chooses defense and resistance, so the cultivators of Nanxiu Island truly do not understand his abilities and techniques.

"This person is too skilled at concealing his strength and at disguising himself; if not for He Yao's death, everyone would likely be fooled by his disguise."

After exchanging a move, although Wang Fengsong's heart still brimmed with anger, he also understood that relying solely on himself he could not possibly prevail against Yunhe.

Even if joined by the Liu Clan's Mid Jie Dan cultivator Liu Er, at most they could only achieve defeat; killing him is utterly impossible.

Even if he were unwilling to relent, there would be nothing more he could do.

Just as when He Wen learned that He Yao's physical body had been destroyed by the schemes of the Liu and Wang Clans, He Wen could only outwardly claim that He Yao had gone missing; it was utterly impossible to go stir up trouble for the Liu and Wang Clans.

This matter could only be suffered as a dumb loss.

But if we truly reckon, they slew the Mid Jie Dan He Yao, while each clan merely lost an Early Jie Dan cultivator; that still counts as them gaining an advantage.

Thereafter, as long as there is an opportunity, or they create one, they will absolutely show no mercy toward "He Wen."

"Hmph!!"

Wang Fengsong gave a cold snort, retrieved his Xuanbing Ring, flicked his sleeve, and fled far away.

But he believed he still had an advantage.

That is lifespan!

Even if the He Clan's elders broke through to Mid Jie Dan and gained some lifespan, it could not increase by much.

There will surely come a day when he can concoct "He Wen" and slaughter the He Clan.

Compared to Wang Fengsong's angry attack and angry retreat, it was still the Liu family's old ancestor Liu Er who made him feel a bit more wary.

He merely appeared, made no move nor showed any stance, and when Wang Fengsong retreated, he also silently vanished into the air.

Here.

Only Yunhe and Wang Lou remained.

He Daoist friend's divine ability, truly. makes Mou Wang admire.

Wang Lou revealed a smile, took the teacup brought by the puppet, and tried to use it to open up conversation.

But Yunhe merely silently placed the thick earth cauldron on the stone table, neither speaking nor showing any stance, drinking tea with a tranquil expression.

This instantly gave Wang Lou the feeling of punching cotton.

But he also understood.

Yunhe was waiting for him to speak up.

He lightly sipped a mouthful of spiritual tea, pondered for a long while, then spoke again:

Daoist friend He must surely be doubtful of Mou Wang's actions, right?

Yunhe still didn't speak, merely letting his gaze fall on him.

Wang Lou gave a bitter laugh and helplessly said: "My Wang family has discovered a secret realm."

A secret realm?

Yunhe's hand movement paused slightly.

Then Wang Lou continued: "As for that secret realm, my Wang family has already found a way to open it, but we need at least five mid-stage Golden Core cultivators or higher, and they must be five cultivators with different spiritual root attributes; only when the five elements are gathered do we have a chance to open it."

He looked toward Yunhe, "Mou Wang knows that Daoist friend He is an earth spiritual root, cultivating a top-tier earth attribute technique, I don't know if Daoist friend..."

Yet Yunhe put down his teacup, stood up, and performed a salute.

"Sorry, Mou He is not interested in this."

Having said that, he waved his hand, retrieved the puppet, and flew straight toward the He family, leaving only a stunned Wang Lou behind.

Just kidding.

How He Yao ended up with only a soul left, Yunhe knows very well.

Moreover, how much of Wang Lou's words can be believed?

He simply doesn't want to join in the fun.

At least.

He cannot join in the fun under the identity of "He Wen".

(End of chapter)