Chapter 479: The Gathering of Heroes

"Oh, you all have arrived quite early."

Several streams of light landed on the high platform; among them, a steady and imposing middle-aged man smiled heartily, cupped his hands toward Yan Lie and the others, and then walked in the direction of Yang Jiuxiao.

"Elder Yang, this junior pays his respects."

"You shouldn't, you really shouldn't!"

Looking at the middle-aged man performing the junior's salute before him, Yang Jiuxiao's withered face revealed a gentle smile.

"Palace Master Huangfu, you are really putting this old man to shame."

"You are no longer the hot-headed youngster you once were; there is no need to perform such a grand salute to these old bones of mine."

The person conversing cordially with Yang Jiuxiao was none other than Huangfu Shenghua, the Palace Master of Mingwang Palace; the latter had received much care from Yang Jiuxiao, who was his senior, when he was young, so the two had always maintained a good relationship.

"Eh, look at you saying things like that."

Huangfu Shenghua smiled.

"If it weren't for your help back then, this junior fears I would have long since ended up in the belly of a fierce beast; how could I have the virtue or ability to be here today?"

Hearing this, Yang Jiuxiao's thoughts drifted far away; upon returning to his senses, he revealed an expression of regret.

"It is a pity; you lad were not suited for my inheritance, and in the end, we lacked a bit of fate."

Otherwise, how could that old man have picked up such a bargain?

Just as Yang Jiuxiao was shaking his head and sighing, a piece of information quietly entered his mind; his pupils instantly constricted as he looked toward the source of the message, and Huangfu Shenghua gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"This old man understands."

Immediately, he was filled with emotion.

"The future belongs to you young people after all!"

"Elder Yang is still as vigorous as ever."

Huangfu Shenghua smiled and flattered him.

"Are those few little ones also...?"

Yang Jiuxiao looked at the other figures who appeared as if nothing were amiss, his gaze clearly expressing his question.

"Just happened to run into them, it was on the way."

Huangfu Shenghua's demeanor was composed.

"The people have almost all arrived."

His gaze swept over the empty seats, and the impressions of the currently absent first-rate powers surfaced in Yang Jiuxiao's mind.

"The Blood Blade Sect is just a bunch of perverts, Liuying Gate is gloomy all day long, doing nothing but shameful deeds, and then there are those bald donkeys from the Bodhi Sect who spend all day going on about how everything has 'fate' with them, and also..."

"The Zhengyuan Sect, which reeks of evil."

The passage of thousands of years of time had ravaged his body, but it had also given him a pair of sharp, discerning eyes.

He sighed inwardly.

"I fear there will be rivers of blood!"

Before the old senior could continue his internal monologue, the few powers he had been muttering about arrived at the venue one after another from various directions.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

As soon as the people from the four powers arrived, the atmosphere at the venue instantly turned cold, their attitudes completely different from before.

Yue Yingye, the Sect Master of the Blood Blade Sect, seemed accustomed to this; he carried his ghost-head broadsword and walked to his seat without saying a word.

The Sect Master of Liuying Gate had already vanished into the shadows at some point, shrinking into his seat to become a black, indescribable mass.

The old monk from the Bodhi Sect, with his white hair and beard, still wore his unchanging, kind smile; his squinted eyes made it impossible for anyone to guess his thoughts, and he smiled at everyone in a friendly manner before sitting in his seat.

By comparison, Lan Canghai, the Sect Master of the Zhengyuan Sect, was quite popular; at least he received friendly greetings from others, especially from a certain boisterous Sect Master.

"Brother Lan, our seats are actually together; this is truly fate, hahahahaha!"

Yan Lie dragged Lan Canghai to the seat beside him with a joyful face; feeling the waves of immense strength coming from his shoulder, the latter revealed a helpless smile.

"Brother Yan, I trust you have been well!"

"Sigh, don't mention it, I was just infuriated by that old man Yang earlier."

"Senior Yang is a senior; as juniors, we should show respect."

"Fine, fine, fine, it's always your set of rules all day long; let's not talk about this, let us brothers drink."

"Brother Yan..."

"Don't speak, if the bond is deep, drink it all in one gulp!"

Watching Yan Lie, who ignored Lan Canghai's objections and directly took out two large jars of wine, the others at the venue immediately covered their faces, and those sitting closer quietly moved their seats in the opposite direction.

"This brainless blockhead!"

Yang Jiuxiao criticized him in his heart, feeling that he was failing to live up to expectations.

Sect Master Yan's logic for making friends with others was completely unreasonable; he did not look at strength, status, or age, but only at one thing: alcohol tolerance!

In terms of alcohol tolerance alone, perhaps it was hard to distinguish who was better, but since everyone present was a leader of a first-rate power and usually maintained the airs of a senior expert, the only one willing to disregard his image to drink heavily with this man was Lan Canghai, the Sect Master of the Zhengyuan Sect, who presented himself as a good-natured person.

"Everyone is here."

Lifting his eyes to scan the entire venue, his gaze finally fixed on the seat at the head, and Yang Jiuxiao could not help but reveal a look of anticipation.

Crises also bring opportunities; perhaps this sudden, unexpected event would allow him, who was already stepping into old age, to advance further?

At this moment, everyone stopped what they were doing in unison, and pairs of sharp, curious, and scrutinizing eyes converged on that most honorable seat.

A gentle breeze mixed with a hint of chill swirled slowly in front of the seat, carrying pure, glistening white snowflakes; the combination of a man in white and an old man in grey robes appeared in everyone's field of vision.

"Hm?"

"..."

Upon catching sight of the unfamiliar man in white standing in the front, those gazes instantly transformed into deep confusion.

"Everyone, this is our first meeting; please forgive any lack of proper etiquette."

The man in white smiled and greeted everyone.

The brows of the latter and the others could not help but furrow; as Hall Master of Tianlan Hall, Liu Qingyang had naturally dealt with them many times, and while they could not be called close acquaintances, they were not strangers either, and clearly, this person was not Liu Qingyang.

For such an important meeting, which was initiated by Tianlan Hall itself, for Hall Master Liu Qingyang not to attend in person was, to say the least, somewhat arrogant.

However, the unfathomable aura of the other party made the various leaders of the factions envy Tianlan Hall for having such a powerful expert, while also suppressing the slight dissatisfaction in their hearts.

Even Yan Lie, whose personality could be described as reckless, merely had an unkind look in his eyes rather than choosing to lash out.

In the end, it was Yang Jiuxiao, who held the highest seniority, who gave a light cough and looked at the acquaintance behind the man in white.

"Elder Yang, may I ask which Supreme Elder of Tianlan Hall this distinguished guest is?"

Hearing this, Yang Tian subconsciously glanced at the person in front of him.

And this action instantly raised the evaluation of this mysterious powerhouse by the others by another level.

To be able to make Yang Tian, who was a noble Supreme Elder of Tianlan Hall, act in such a manner, the other party's strength and status were clearly extraordinary!

On the other side, having received a definite answer, Yang Tian did not play games and introduced him straightforwardly:

"This senior is not a Supreme Elder of our Tianlan Hall."

"He is a powerhouse from outside the realm."

"Known as the Ice Saint!"

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

"A powerhouse from outside the realm!"

Yan Lie exclaimed directly, and the reactions of the others did not exceed his by much, their faces full of surprise and astonishment, along with a trace of worry.

The situation of Tianlan Continent was no secret to them; if the identity was true, the impact brought by the other party would be earth-shattering.

A flash of gloom passed through the eyes of Sect Master of Zhengyuan Sect, Lan Canghai, and his body tensed up involuntarily.

"So it is as expected."

The mysterious powerhouse that the entire Zhengyuan Sect had searched for in vain back then had indeed stood on the side of Tianlan Hall.

"Then, may I ask where Hall Master Liu is now?"

Xiao Han, who was observing the reactions of the crowd from his seat, looked at the source of the voice immediately, while Yang Tian beside him answered quickly.

"The Hall Master is currently tied up with important matters and has fully entrusted the affairs of this assembly to this senior."

"I wonder if Sect Master Lan still has any questions?"

Lan Canghai still wore that kind smile, only now there was a hint of wariness in it.

"None."

Then, his tone suddenly shifted.

"Since Hall Master Liu is not here today, this assembly... I, Lan, shall come to attend another day."

Having said that, Lan Canghai stood up immediately and lifted his leg to leave.

In an instant, an intense sense of crisis enveloped Lan Canghai's entire body, and calm, ripple-less words came from behind him.

"Stop!"