Following the route pointed out by Hei Qing, familiar scenes entered Xiao Ming's field of vision in less than half a day. In the distance, the magnificent and imposing Pill Tower appeared, faintly visible against the horizon.
Upon returning to Holy Pill City, Xiao Ming bid farewell to Medusa, who directly left through the wormhole in the city to head to the North-Western Region.
...
Inside the conference hall of the Pill Tower headquarters, Xuan Kong Zi and Xuan Yi were engaged in a discussion when Xuan Kong Zi's brows furrowed, and he chuckled softly. "Finally, he's here."
Just as Xuan Kong Zi's laughter subsided, a knocking sound echoed from outside the hall.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and Xiao Ming stepped inside.
"Xiao Ming?" Xuan Yi looked at the young man who had just appeared, slightly taken aback. Then, a look of shock crossed her face as she sensed that Xiao Ming's aura had already reached the seven-star Dou Venerate stage!
"It seems like you gained quite a bit from your trip to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe in the Empty Realm," Xuan Kong Zi commented. Unlike Xuan Yi, who rarely saw him, Xuan Kong Zi was more familiar with Xiao Ming and had developed a certain immunity to surprises. Thus, he wasn't too startled by Xiao Ming's rapid progress.
"I made some gains. Old Xuan, did you call me here for something?" Xiao Ming smiled.
He had just returned to his residence and hadn't had a chance to see Xiao Yi Xian when Cao Ying knocked on his door, informing him that Xuan Kong Zi wanted to see him.
"Take a seat first, and then we'll talk."
Xiao Ming found a chair and sat down as Xuan Kong Zi proceeded to provide a brief explanation of the current situation in Central Plains.
During the five months since Xiao Ming's departure, Central Plains had been embroiled in turmoil. The Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls had clashed multiple times, each side experiencing victories and losses.
The Pill Tower had taken action to destroy one of the Hall of Souls' branch halls, which resulted in the Hall of Souls putting bounties on the heads of high-ranking members of the Pill Tower. This information had spread throughout Central Plains, with the Hall of Souls offering a substantial reward to anyone who could kill individuals at or above the level of the Eight Great Elders.
Xiao Ming's bounty alone was worth more than the combined bounties of the other Eight Great Elders, attracting many powerful cultivators from the evil path.
In addition to the conflict between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls, other forces in Central Plains had also descended into chaos. Numerous factions, big and small, were embroiled in conflicts, leading to countless casualties.
For instance, Venerable Feng of the Falling Star Pavilion and Venerable Huang Quan of the Yellow Spring Pavilion developed a grudge over a unique medicinal herb discovered in the remains of a mysterious individual's Dou Saint heritage.
This grudge escalated when the Yellow Spring Pavilion, for some undisclosed benefits, gained the support of the Wind Lightning Pavilion and launched a retaliatory attack against the Falling Star Pavilion.
The Profound Sky Sect and the Flower Sect were ranked as the two major sects, and they had no conflicts in the past. However, the Profound Sky Sect had long desired the Flower Sect, which consisted solely of women.
Recently, when the previous Sect Master of the Flower Sect fell, causing turmoil within the sect, factions within the Flower Sect sought to support a woman named Hua Jin as the new Sect Master.
However, the former Sect Master of the Flower Sect was not foolish and knew that Hua Jin was unreliable. Even without Yun Yun, she found another woman named Hua Yi to inherit her Dou Qi and the position of Sect Master.
This led to internal turmoil within the Flower Sect, with Hua Yi gaining the support of over half of the Elders while Hua Jin had the backing of the Profound Sky Sect.
Other hidden forces had also emerged.
After listening to Xuan Kong Zi's explanation of the situation in Central Plains, Xiao Ming furrowed his brow. He had previously obtained some information from the simulator, which hinted that Central Plains would not be peaceful. However, the simulator's information was limited and not entirely reliable, so he lacked a clear understanding of how the situation would unfold.
The current state of Central Plains could be said to have far exceeded his expectations, to the point of being inexplicable.
Xuan Kong Zi noticed Xiao Ming's furrowed brow and sighed before asking, "Have you also noticed that something is amiss?"
"Do you know the inside story, Old Xuan? Could it be related to the Hall of Souls?"
"Yes, the Pill Tower has indeed uncovered some inside information," Xuan Kong Zi confirmed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "According to our investigation, most of the conflicts between the forces are related to the Hall of Souls."
"Their goal is to capture soul bodies!"
As Xuan Kong Zi spoke about soul bodies, his voice carried a tinge of anger. The soul power of an alchemist surpassed that of cultivators of the same level. This made alchemists highly sought after by the Hall of Souls throughout the entire Dou Qi continent. The Pill Tower didn't know how many alchemists had been secretly captured, fueling Xuan Kong Zi's fury.
'For the sake of soul bodies?' Xiao Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. While he understood the Hall of Souls causing trouble to obtain soul bodies, in the original work, although the Hall of Souls was not particularly low-key in their actions, they didn't draw too much attention to themselves for the sake of their millennium-long grand plan.
Now, the Hall of Souls was stirring up trouble throughout Central Plains. Could it be that the Hun Clan wanted to initiate their plans ahead of time? This thought stirred a sense of urgency within Xiao Ming's heart.
If that were the case, the Hall of Souls might start paying close attention to him, especially since he possessed the Tou She Ancient God's Jade in the eyes of the Hun Clan.
As a result, the Gu Clan might come looking for him again.
Unfortunately, the Tou She Ancient God's Jade was not easily handed over. Otherwise, the Hun Clan may directly attack the other Ancient Clans.
There was no doubt that the Hun Clan possessed such strength. Perhaps they were currently scheming to wipe out the Ling Clan.
'Sigh, in the end, I need to enhance my strength as soon as possible.'
Rubbing his temples, Xiao Ming let out a sigh.
When it came to advancing beyond the Dou Venerate realm, there were only a few opportunities to enhance one's strength. Even with the simulator, he couldn't find many suitable ones.
Suddenly, Xiao Ming thought of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit. One Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit allowed Zi Yan to directly skip the Nine Changes in the peak Dou Venerate realm and reach the lower, middle, and high-level Half-Saint. Furthermore, it would even allow her to cross four stars in the Dou Saint realm. The energy contained within it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
He currently possessed a Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit as well. The next time he saw Zi Yan, perhaps he could have her refine it and then absorb some of its energy.
Xiao Ming didn't expect to directly break through to the Dou Saint realm; having the strength of a Half-Saint would be good enough.
In his mind, Xiao Ming brainstormed ideas on how to enhance his strength. However, he didn't remain silent the whole time and posed a question to Xuan Kong Zi.
"Old Xuan, I assume you didn't summon me just to inform me about the situation in Central Plains, right?"
"Hehe, you're smart." Xuan Kong Zi nodded in acknowledgment.
"The reason I called you here is that our Pill Tower is undertaking an operation that requires two Great Elders to lead. We were actually lacking one elder, and coincidentally, you returned. So, I've decided to fill that position with you."
"Initially, I had some concerns about your strength, but now it seems I was overthinking."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming did not refuse. He had also enjoyed many benefits in the Pill Tower, so when it came to doing his part, he naturally wouldn't shrink back.
"What kind of operation is it?"
"We're going to destroy a Hall of Souls' Disha Hall!"
It turned out that during this recent period of war, Pill Tower had also suffered significant losses among the alchemists. The soul bodies of these alchemists were captured by the members of the Hall of Souls.
The Pill Tower's objective in this operation was to retrieve the soul bodies of some of the alchemists.
Following the route pointed out by Hei Qing, familiar scenes entered Xiao Ming's field of vision in less than half a day. In the distance, the magnificent and imposing Pill Tower appeared, faintly visible against the horizon.
Upon returning to Holy Pill City, Xiao Ming bid farewell to Medusa, who directly left through the wormhole in the city to head to the North-Western Region.
...
Inside the conference hall of the Pill Tower headquarters, Xuan Kong Zi and Xuan Yi were engaged in a discussion when Xuan Kong Zi's brows furrowed, and he chuckled softly. "Finally, he's here."
Just as Xuan Kong Zi's laughter subsided, a knocking sound echoed from outside the hall.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and Xiao Ming stepped inside.
"Xiao Ming?" Xuan Yi looked at the young man who had just appeared, slightly taken aback. Then, a look of shock crossed her face as she sensed that Xiao Ming's aura had already reached the seven-star Dou Venerate stage!
"It seems like you gained quite a bit from your trip to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe in the Empty Realm," Xuan Kong Zi commented. Unlike Xuan Yi, who rarely saw him, Xuan Kong Zi was more familiar with Xiao Ming and had developed a certain immunity to surprises. Thus, he wasn't too startled by Xiao Ming's rapid progress.
"I made some gains. Old Xuan, did you call me here for something?" Xiao Ming smiled.
He had just returned to his residence and hadn't had a chance to see Xiao Yi Xian when Cao Ying knocked on his door, informing him that Xuan Kong Zi wanted to see him.
"Take a seat first, and then we'll talk."
Xiao Ming found a chair and sat down as Xuan Kong Zi proceeded to provide a brief explanation of the current situation in Central Plains.
During the five months since Xiao Ming's departure, Central Plains had been embroiled in turmoil. The Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls had clashed multiple times, each side experiencing victories and losses.
The Pill Tower had taken action to destroy one of the Hall of Souls' branch halls, which resulted in the Hall of Souls putting bounties on the heads of high-ranking members of the Pill Tower. This information had spread throughout Central Plains, with the Hall of Souls offering a substantial reward to anyone who could kill individuals at or above the level of the Eight Great Elders.
Xiao Ming's bounty alone was worth more than the combined bounties of the other Eight Great Elders, attracting many powerful cultivators from the evil path.
In addition to the conflict between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls, other forces in Central Plains had also descended into chaos. Numerous factions, big and small, were embroiled in conflicts, leading to countless casualties.
For instance, Venerable Feng of the Falling Star Pavilion and Venerable Huang Quan of the Yellow Spring Pavilion developed a grudge over a unique medicinal herb discovered in the remains of a mysterious individual's Dou Saint heritage.
This grudge escalated when the Yellow Spring Pavilion, for some undisclosed benefits, gained the support of the Wind Lightning Pavilion and launched a retaliatory attack against the Falling Star Pavilion.
The Profound Sky Sect and the Flower Sect were ranked as the two major sects, and they had no conflicts in the past. However, the Profound Sky Sect had long desired the Flower Sect, which consisted solely of women.
Recently, when the previous Sect Master of the Flower Sect fell, causing turmoil within the sect, factions within the Flower Sect sought to support a woman named Hua Jin as the new Sect Master.
However, the former Sect Master of the Flower Sect was not foolish and knew that Hua Jin was unreliable. Even without Yun Yun, she found another woman named Hua Yi to inherit her Dou Qi and the position of Sect Master.
This led to internal turmoil within the Flower Sect, with Hua Yi gaining the support of over half of the Elders while Hua Jin had the backing of the Profound Sky Sect.
Other hidden forces had also emerged.
After listening to Xuan Kong Zi's explanation of the situation in Central Plains, Xiao Ming furrowed his brow. He had previously obtained some information from the simulator, which hinted that Central Plains would not be peaceful. However, the simulator's information was limited and not entirely reliable, so he lacked a clear understanding of how the situation would unfold.
The current state of Central Plains could be said to have far exceeded his expectations, to the point of being inexplicable.
Xuan Kong Zi noticed Xiao Ming's furrowed brow and sighed before asking, "Have you also noticed that something is amiss?"
"Do you know the inside story, Old Xuan? Could it be related to the Hall of Souls?"
"Yes, the Pill Tower has indeed uncovered some inside information," Xuan Kong Zi confirmed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "According to our investigation, most of the conflicts between the forces are related to the Hall of Souls."
"Their goal is to capture soul bodies!"
As Xuan Kong Zi spoke about soul bodies, his voice carried a tinge of anger. The soul power of an alchemist surpassed that of cultivators of the same level. This made alchemists highly sought after by the Hall of Souls throughout the entire Dou Qi continent. The Pill Tower didn't know how many alchemists had been secretly captured, fueling Xuan Kong Zi's fury.
'For the sake of soul bodies?' Xiao Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. While he understood the Hall of Souls causing trouble to obtain soul bodies, in the original work, although the Hall of Souls was not particularly low-key in their actions, they didn't draw too much attention to themselves for the sake of their millennium-long grand plan.
Now, the Hall of Souls was stirring up trouble throughout Central Plains. Could it be that the Hun Clan wanted to initiate their plans ahead of time? This thought stirred a sense of urgency within Xiao Ming's heart.
If that were the case, the Hall of Souls might start paying close attention to him, especially since he possessed the Tou She Ancient God's Jade in the eyes of the Hun Clan.
As a result, the Gu Clan might come looking for him again.
Unfortunately, the Tou She Ancient God's Jade was not easily handed over. Otherwise, the Hun Clan may directly attack the other Ancient Clans.
There was no doubt that the Hun Clan possessed such strength. Perhaps they were currently scheming to wipe out the Ling Clan.
'Sigh, in the end, I need to enhance my strength as soon as possible.'
Rubbing his temples, Xiao Ming let out a sigh.
When it came to advancing beyond the Dou Venerate realm, there were only a few opportunities to enhance one's strength. Even with the simulator, he couldn't find many suitable ones.
Suddenly, Xiao Ming thought of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit. One Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit allowed Zi Yan to directly skip the Nine Changes in the peak Dou Venerate realm and reach the lower, middle, and high-level Half-Saint. Furthermore, it would even allow her to cross four stars in the Dou Saint realm. The energy contained within it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
He currently possessed a Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit as well. The next time he saw Zi Yan, perhaps he could have her refine it and then absorb some of its energy.
Xiao Ming didn't expect to directly break through to the Dou Saint realm; having the strength of a Half-Saint would be good enough.
In his mind, Xiao Ming brainstormed ideas on how to enhance his strength. However, he didn't remain silent the whole time and posed a question to Xuan Kong Zi.
"Old Xuan, I assume you didn't summon me just to inform me about the situation in Central Plains, right?"
"Hehe, you're smart." Xuan Kong Zi nodded in acknowledgment.
"The reason I called you here is that our Pill Tower is undertaking an operation that requires two Great Elders to lead. We were actually lacking one elder, and coincidentally, you returned. So, I've decided to fill that position with you."
"Initially, I had some concerns about your strength, but now it seems I was overthinking."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming did not refuse. He had also enjoyed many benefits in the Pill Tower, so when it came to doing his part, he naturally wouldn't shrink back.
"What kind of operation is it?"
"We're going to destroy a Hall of Souls' Disha Hall!"
It turned out that during this recent period of war, Pill Tower had also suffered significant losses among the alchemists. The soul bodies of these alchemists were captured by the members of the Hall of Souls.
The Pill Tower's objective in this operation was to retrieve the soul bodies of some of the alchemists.
