Chapter 327: Arrangements

Ye Jianxin and Hun Yun looked in the direction of the sound, only to see an aged figure walking quickly toward them.

"Clan Leader Shi!" Ye Jianxin took the lead in offering a salute.

"Greetings, Clan Leader Shi!" Hun Yun also cupped his hands with a smile, but his tone did not contain the slightest bit of respect.

Shi Ren did not mind Hun Yun's disrespect and said in a deep voice:

"Both of you are guests invited by my Shi Clan. Could you give this old man a little face and temporarily set aside your past grievances?"

Ye Jianxin and Hun Yun exchanged a glance and nodded, saying, "Since that is the case, we shall give Clan Leader Shi this face."

Immediately, they put away their respective weapons.

This was not entirely out of respect for Shi Ren; Ye Jianxin and his counterpart were not people to be trifled with.

It was just that the former was not some frail old man. While persuading them, the other party had quietly pressed the aura of a Seven-Star Dou Saint upon them. Naturally, the two of them, as Five-Star Dou Saints, could not make any excessive moves in response.

They simply took the opportunity to step down and agreed to Shi Ren's request.

Seeing that the two were unwilling to escalate the matter, Shi Ren also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

These two were not easy to deal with. If they really insisted on fighting, and given their strong backing, he would not dare to truly do anything to them, and it would cause no small loss to the Shi Clan's reputation.

"Everyone, you may disperse!" Shi Ren said toward a certain location, his powerful Dou Qi carrying his aged voice clearly to every corner.

The others also tactfully withdrew their prying gazes.

Although the battle was stopped, the two began a confrontation in other aspects.

"I hope you can still laugh in the future!" Hun Yun said grimly.

"Oh?" Ye Jianxin raised an eyebrow. "Rest assured, when you die, I will laugh even more happily!"

As the two passed each other, a surge of hidden force suddenly erupted from within their bodies, transmitting to one another.

Their figures paused, they looked at each other in silence, then walked toward their own seats as if nothing had happened.

Several days later, Langya Pavilion.

"Lao Ye sent word?" Xiao Han looked at Yi Huang as she walked in, looking slightly surprised.

"Yes!" Yi Huang said with a solemn expression, handing over a Jade Pendant as she spoke.

After Xiao Han finished browsing the contents, he said in a serious tone:

"It seems the Soul Clan's progress is much faster than we anticipated!"

"Mm." Yi Huang also agreed: "I didn't expect them to be able to integrate that kind of power into their Dou Qi. Even if it is only an initial application, it is very troublesome."

The Blood Demon Clan's abilities mostly act upon blood; they manipulate the enemy's blood during battle and can even use blood to replenish their own consumption, which is similar in effect to the Cultivation Method of the Four Heavenly Sovereigns, Blood River, from back then.

The former even has fewer side effects, or almost none at all; it is equivalent to adding a Cultivation Method buff to every Soul Clan member who masters this power, which makes fighting them quite agonizing.

"How should this power be resolved?" Xiao Han asked involuntarily.

A powerhouse like Xiao Han naturally does not need to worry about those little tricks, but the Dou Zong and lower-level powerhouses who form the backbone of their strength might not be so lucky.

According to his guess, this bonus could increase the strength of the Soul Clan members by at least ten percent. This seemingly insignificant figure would be terrifying once expanded to the Soul Clan's massive population base.

"Could it be..."

A flash of inspiration struck Xiao Han's mind. With his palm facing upward, a snowflake-shaped Ice Crystal emerged from his body, and in an instant, the entire room was covered in a thick layer of frost.

"I can only try it first..." Xiao Han frowned and said.

"There is also this list." Yi Huang slowly unfolded a Scroll before Xiao Han's eyes.

Xian'er's name was prominently at the top of the list, as the Leader Elder.

"Are we only sending Xian'er, fifteen Langya Guard, and twenty Dou Zong realm Disciples for the struggle over the Bodhi Ancient Tree?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Han nodded in agreement.

This number was already quite streamlined compared to teams that easily reached nearly a hundred people, but the actual lineup was not inferior to any other team.

The struggle for the Ancient Tree values quality over quantity; these twenty Disciples were brought along for the purpose of tempering.

Even so, every one of them was a Core Disciple at the High-level Dou Zong stage, and some were even reserves for the Langya Guard. If the twenty of them coordinated with each other, taking down five or six average Dou Zong powerhouses would be effortless.

With over twenty Dou Zong combatants plus a combat ceiling below the Saint Realm, not to mention pinning other teams to the ground, self-preservation was absolutely more than enough.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

"This is exhausting day after day!"

Yi Huang rubbed her slightly sore shoulders and complained; even she, a Dou Saint powerhouse, could hardly handle such a mountain of affairs.

Her gaze swept over Xiao Han like a blade. "I am going into seclusion in two months; find someone else to do the work by then!"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Xiao Han replied bitterly. He didn't want to do the work either!

He used to be able to use cultivation as an excuse, but now that he was a Nine-Star Dou Saint, continuing to seclude himself had little effect, and this excuse no longer worked.

He wanted to find others to share the load, but unfortunately, the only three people with real decision-making power in Langya Pavilion were them; one had gone to the Shi Clan on business, and one was going into seclusion.

The strength and reputation of the others could not hold the fort at all. If he were to stubbornly delegate power, he didn't know what kind of trouble would be stirred up, so he had to do it all himself.

However, Xiao Han was also comforting himself; he had been arranging for the next generation of Disciples to take over a small portion of Langya Pavilion's affairs, and he had trained quite a few suitable people.

In ten years at most, after resolving the Soul Clan's trouble, he would directly abdicate and become a hands-off manager, just in time to let some restless little brat settle down, and he could hold his grand-disciple sooner.

Just as Xiao Han was looking forward to a bright future...

Yi Huang was about to turn around when she suddenly remembered something and smiled: "By the way, Sheng Han and Xin'er seem to be coming back."

"Hm?" Xiao Han suddenly revealed a smile. "What about little Yue'er?"

Little Yue'er, Yin Qiyue, daughter of Ye Shenghan, was also the grand-niece of Xiao Han and the others. Whether in Sound Valley or Langya Pavilion, she was a beloved figure.

Because they had promised to hand their child over to Sound Valley to inherit the vast family fortune, Ye Shenghan and Xin'er had been living in Sound Valley accompanying their daughter who had yet to grow up, only returning to Langya Pavilion to live for a period of time periodically.

Seeing Xiao Han's impatient look, Yi Huang felt amused but also slightly lost. However, she knew that because their cultivation levels were too high, having children was harder than ascending to heaven, so she could only bury the thought deep in her heart.

She smiled faintly: "They will be back in about three days. Why? Are you planning to go welcome them?"

Xiao Han smiled without a word; his subconscious told him that this question could not be answered.

It was just that, at this moment, he had already begun to consider in his heart what kind of gift he should give his adorable grandniece for their first meeting.

Every time he thought of that crisp, clear voice, Xiao Han could not help but feel a sense of anticipation in his heart.

And this anticipation turned into monstrous rage three days later.