The atmosphere was lively and bustling, but Tian Shuang Zi remained unfazed. As a renowned figure, he was accustomed to such scenes and the chatter of others could not disturb his state of mind.
"First Elder, our disciples have gathered!" An old man dressed in elder robes reported respectfully as he approached him.
"Good. Let us head to Xuan City. We have already located the Woeful Poison Lady," Tian Shuang Zi replied with a smile. The people of Ice River Valley followed closely behind him, exuding an imposing presence.
The surrounding crowd quickly made way for them, wary of angering them by blocking their path.
The disciples of Ice River Valley held their heads high with pride as they strutted past the onlookers.
Ha ha ha, this was the prestige that the Ice River Valley, one of the three major valleys of the Central Plains, should have! Not in vain had they striven to join the Ice River Valley years ago.
As these disciples were secretly rejoicing, there were noises around them, and some people were pointing and talking about something. Sensing that something might have happened, the disciples quickly looked in the direction indicated by the crowd.
They saw an old man in a fiery red robe and a handsome young man blocking their path.
"What insolence! These two dare to block our path! Do they not know that we are from the Ice River Valley?" one of the disciples exclaimed in irritation.
"Perhaps it's a young heir from a prestigious family seeking to establish a connection with the Ice River Valley. But it's unwise to halt us halfway in this manner," another speculated with a chuckle.
"If they really come looking for trouble, with the temperament of our First Elder, they will regret coming into this world..."
While the disciples were brimming with confidence, Tian Shuang Zi and the other elders frowned with apprehension
Tian Shuang Zi, being a Dou Venerate, couldn't see through the old man in the red robe. He knew that anyone he couldn't see through must be above his level or had a concealment treasure.
Uncertain about the old man's strength, Tian Shuang Zi became cautious. He had not seen the old man's appearance before, making it difficult for him to determine the situation. If the old man had a concealment treasure, he couldn't imagine what confidence the old man had to stop them.
Because he was too focused on the Venerable Tian Huo, Tian Shuang Zi didn't pay much attention to Xiao Ming, who looked too young.
After thinking for a while, Tian Shuang Zi decided to be polite and smiled gently as he arched his hand towards Venerable Tian Huo.
"Ha ha, this friend, may I know your esteemed name?"
"Tian Huo."
"So it's Venerable Tian Huo, I'm truly sorry for my rudeness." Tian Shuang Zi said with a smile, seeing that Venerable Tian Huo didn't refute him, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He addressed the other party as "Venerable" since only a Dou Venerate can be called that. However, the calm and at ease demeanor of Venerable Tian Huo hinted that he was undoubtedly a Dou Venerate and probably a stronger one.
"I am Tian Shuang Zi, the First Elder of the Ice River Valley. May I ask why you are stopping us from passing through?"
Venerable Tian Huo smiled and did not speak, just shaking his head slowly and looking at Xiao Ming.
Tian Shuang Zi was surprised by Venerable Tian Huo's reaction, and he looked at Xiao Ming with suspicion, not expecting that the young man was the one in charge. He thought Xiao Ming was the old man's disciple.
After taking a closer look at Xiao Ming, Tian Shuang Zi became increasingly surprised.
This kid turned out to be an eight-star Dou Ancestor!
Only Tian Shuang Zi noticed Xiao Ming's strength as an eight-star Dou Ancestor. The others had lower cultivation levels than Xiao Ming and could only sense that he was not ordinary.
After the initial shock, Tian Shuang Zi smiled amiably and said, "Excuse me, young man, but has my Ice Valley offended you in any way? If so, I apologize on behalf of our sect and request that you please let us pass."
The most important thing at the moment was to capture the Woeful Poison Lady, and Tian Shuang Zi didn't want to waste time arguing with the other party. Although apologizing would cause them to lose face, the other party seemed to have an extraordinary background, so losing some face was not a big deal.
While Tian Shuang Zi intended to resolve the situation peacefully, Xiao Ming had no intention of letting it go. He looked at the elder with indifference and slowly said, "I assume the First Elder has come here for the Woeful Poison Lady, right?".
Tian Shuang Zi frowned slightly, sensing that things were not looking good, but he did not conceal the fact that they were here for the Woeful Poison Lady. It was a clear matter. "Yes, that's right."
"The Woeful Poison Lady is one of mine, you can leave now." Xiao Ming said calmly.
"But this is the task assigned by our Valley Master. I..." Tian Shuang Zi's eyes flashed with barely perceptible anger. It had been many years since anyone had spoken to him in such a tone.
"Hehe, Tian Shuang Zi, you don't need to bring up the name of Bing He, because I, Xiao Ming, am not afraid of him," Xiao Ming chuckled and then quickly turned cold.
The onlookers were mostly low-level cultivators, with only one or two Dou Ancestors among them, making them unable to discern the strength of Xiao Ming and the others.
Originally, when they saw Xiao Ming and his companion intercepting the Ice River Valley's people, they were shocked by Xiao Ming's recklessness, but they couldn't believe that Tian Shuang Zi seemed to be unwilling to be enemies with them.
As they were still speculating about Xiao Ming's background, they didn't expect him to directly warn the other party, and there was even a hint of disdain for Bing He in his words.
It was known that Bing He was a five-star Dou Venerate!
"What the fuck! Who is this kid? He's so fierce that he dares to look down on Venerable Bing He!" exclaimed one of the onlookers.
"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear him call himself Xiao Ming?"
"Xiao Ming? This name... sounds familiar! I think I've heard it somewhere,"
"Damn! Isn't it the same name as the recently rumored Eight Great Elders' Candidate of the Pill Tower? It can't be the same person, can it?"
"Judging from the other party's confidence, it should be. Xiao Ming is an eighth-tier Master Alchemist, and he is also backed by the Pill Tower. It seems like he really isn't afraid of the Ice River Valley. Hehe, we have a good show to watch!"
After Xiao Ming saw through his intentions, Tian Shuang Zi tried to force a smile, but his true feelings of anger and resentment were evident. He tightly clenched his fist, and his entire body was filled with Dou Qi as if he was ready to attack at any moment.
Noticing Tian Shuang Zi's movement, Venerable Tian Huo sneered disdainfully.
Instantly, a powerful aura like a mountain, pressed down on everyone in the Ice River Valley.
With a thud, everyone except Tian Shuang Zi fell to their knees with flushed faces. Even Tian Shuang Zi was uncomfortable, looking at Venerable Tian Huo with a fearful expression.
He had felt a similar aura from his own Valley Master before.
This old man was a five-star Dou Venerate!
No wonder Xiao Ming dared to intercept them. It turned out that there was such a powerful guardian!
Xiao Ming didn't stop Venerable Tian Huo's actions. To be honest, even if he killed all of them, he would have no psychological burden, as they had dared to have designs on his Xian'er.
However, as he now held a candidate position for the Pill Tower's Eight Great Elders, he needed to consider the Pill Tower's image.
Since the opponent had not yet taken action, there was no need to resort to such a bloody approach. But it was still necessary to give a small punishment to serve as a warning.
The atmosphere was lively and bustling, but Tian Shuang Zi remained unfazed. As a renowned figure, he was accustomed to such scenes and the chatter of others could not disturb his state of mind.
"First Elder, our disciples have gathered!" An old man dressed in elder robes reported respectfully as he approached him.
"Good. Let us head to Xuan City. We have already located the Woeful Poison Lady," Tian Shuang Zi replied with a smile. The people of Ice River Valley followed closely behind him, exuding an imposing presence.
The surrounding crowd quickly made way for them, wary of angering them by blocking their path.
The disciples of Ice River Valley held their heads high with pride as they strutted past the onlookers.
Ha ha ha, this was the prestige that the Ice River Valley, one of the three major valleys of the Central Plains, should have! Not in vain had they striven to join the Ice River Valley years ago.
As these disciples were secretly rejoicing, there were noises around them, and some people were pointing and talking about something. Sensing that something might have happened, the disciples quickly looked in the direction indicated by the crowd.
They saw an old man in a fiery red robe and a handsome young man blocking their path.
"What insolence! These two dare to block our path! Do they not know that we are from the Ice River Valley?" one of the disciples exclaimed in irritation.
"Perhaps it's a young heir from a prestigious family seeking to establish a connection with the Ice River Valley. But it's unwise to halt us halfway in this manner," another speculated with a chuckle.
"If they really come looking for trouble, with the temperament of our First Elder, they will regret coming into this world..."
While the disciples were brimming with confidence, Tian Shuang Zi and the other elders frowned with apprehension
Tian Shuang Zi, being a Dou Venerate, couldn't see through the old man in the red robe. He knew that anyone he couldn't see through must be above his level or had a concealment treasure.
Uncertain about the old man's strength, Tian Shuang Zi became cautious. He had not seen the old man's appearance before, making it difficult for him to determine the situation. If the old man had a concealment treasure, he couldn't imagine what confidence the old man had to stop them.
Because he was too focused on the Venerable Tian Huo, Tian Shuang Zi didn't pay much attention to Xiao Ming, who looked too young.
After thinking for a while, Tian Shuang Zi decided to be polite and smiled gently as he arched his hand towards Venerable Tian Huo.
"Ha ha, this friend, may I know your esteemed name?"
"Tian Huo."
"So it's Venerable Tian Huo, I'm truly sorry for my rudeness." Tian Shuang Zi said with a smile, seeing that Venerable Tian Huo didn't refute him, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He addressed the other party as "Venerable" since only a Dou Venerate can be called that. However, the calm and at ease demeanor of Venerable Tian Huo hinted that he was undoubtedly a Dou Venerate and probably a stronger one.
"I am Tian Shuang Zi, the First Elder of the Ice River Valley. May I ask why you are stopping us from passing through?"
Venerable Tian Huo smiled and did not speak, just shaking his head slowly and looking at Xiao Ming.
Tian Shuang Zi was surprised by Venerable Tian Huo's reaction, and he looked at Xiao Ming with suspicion, not expecting that the young man was the one in charge. He thought Xiao Ming was the old man's disciple.
After taking a closer look at Xiao Ming, Tian Shuang Zi became increasingly surprised.
This kid turned out to be an eight-star Dou Ancestor!
Only Tian Shuang Zi noticed Xiao Ming's strength as an eight-star Dou Ancestor. The others had lower cultivation levels than Xiao Ming and could only sense that he was not ordinary.
After the initial shock, Tian Shuang Zi smiled amiably and said, "Excuse me, young man, but has my Ice Valley offended you in any way? If so, I apologize on behalf of our sect and request that you please let us pass."
The most important thing at the moment was to capture the Woeful Poison Lady, and Tian Shuang Zi didn't want to waste time arguing with the other party. Although apologizing would cause them to lose face, the other party seemed to have an extraordinary background, so losing some face was not a big deal.
While Tian Shuang Zi intended to resolve the situation peacefully, Xiao Ming had no intention of letting it go. He looked at the elder with indifference and slowly said, "I assume the First Elder has come here for the Woeful Poison Lady, right?".
Tian Shuang Zi frowned slightly, sensing that things were not looking good, but he did not conceal the fact that they were here for the Woeful Poison Lady. It was a clear matter. "Yes, that's right."
"The Woeful Poison Lady is one of mine, you can leave now." Xiao Ming said calmly.
"But this is the task assigned by our Valley Master. I..." Tian Shuang Zi's eyes flashed with barely perceptible anger. It had been many years since anyone had spoken to him in such a tone.
"Hehe, Tian Shuang Zi, you don't need to bring up the name of Bing He, because I, Xiao Ming, am not afraid of him," Xiao Ming chuckled and then quickly turned cold.
The onlookers were mostly low-level cultivators, with only one or two Dou Ancestors among them, making them unable to discern the strength of Xiao Ming and the others.
Originally, when they saw Xiao Ming and his companion intercepting the Ice River Valley's people, they were shocked by Xiao Ming's recklessness, but they couldn't believe that Tian Shuang Zi seemed to be unwilling to be enemies with them.
As they were still speculating about Xiao Ming's background, they didn't expect him to directly warn the other party, and there was even a hint of disdain for Bing He in his words.
It was known that Bing He was a five-star Dou Venerate!
"What the fuck! Who is this kid? He's so fierce that he dares to look down on Venerable Bing He!" exclaimed one of the onlookers.
"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear him call himself Xiao Ming?"
"Xiao Ming? This name... sounds familiar! I think I've heard it somewhere,"
"Damn! Isn't it the same name as the recently rumored Eight Great Elders' Candidate of the Pill Tower? It can't be the same person, can it?"
"Judging from the other party's confidence, it should be. Xiao Ming is an eighth-tier Master Alchemist, and he is also backed by the Pill Tower. It seems like he really isn't afraid of the Ice River Valley. Hehe, we have a good show to watch!"
After Xiao Ming saw through his intentions, Tian Shuang Zi tried to force a smile, but his true feelings of anger and resentment were evident. He tightly clenched his fist, and his entire body was filled with Dou Qi as if he was ready to attack at any moment.
Noticing Tian Shuang Zi's movement, Venerable Tian Huo sneered disdainfully.
Instantly, a powerful aura like a mountain, pressed down on everyone in the Ice River Valley.
With a thud, everyone except Tian Shuang Zi fell to their knees with flushed faces. Even Tian Shuang Zi was uncomfortable, looking at Venerable Tian Huo with a fearful expression.
He had felt a similar aura from his own Valley Master before.
This old man was a five-star Dou Venerate!
No wonder Xiao Ming dared to intercept them. It turned out that there was such a powerful guardian!
Xiao Ming didn't stop Venerable Tian Huo's actions. To be honest, even if he killed all of them, he would have no psychological burden, as they had dared to have designs on his Xian'er.
However, as he now held a candidate position for the Pill Tower's Eight Great Elders, he needed to consider the Pill Tower's image.
Since the opponent had not yet taken action, there was no need to resort to such a bloody approach. But it was still necessary to give a small punishment to serve as a warning.
