Gazing at the suddenly appearing, weathered figure, Guo You was also momentarily stunned, his voice then darkening as he said, "Yao Chen..." "Master? How did you come here?" Xiao Yan, too, had been taken aback by Yao's sudden appearance. His deep, resonant voice carried a hint of surprise—he hadn't yet broken the spatial scroll that Yao had given him. "Since you've been staying in the Ancient Domain for so long, I've felt uneasy and decided to come personally at an opportune time. I didn't expect to meet you just now," Yao floated before Xiao Yan, offering a calm smile. His eyes then swept over Xiao Yan, and a look of quiet satisfaction appeared, as he remarked, "In just a few months, your strength has grown once again—truly beyond my expectations." At a distance, Xun'er and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yao's sudden arrival. "Guo You, you're one of the most renowned elders from the Central Region. Today, you must be quite bold," Yao turned his gaze toward Guo You, speaking slowly. "Hmph. In my Houn clan's eyes, there's nothing shameful—so long as the mission is accomplished, we'll go to any lengths. It's quite amusing of you and Elder Yao to speak thus." Bone You spoke with a cold, stern tone. "Heh, I seem to have forgotten just how thick-skinned you all can be..." Hearing this, Elder Yao smiled gently and then said with a composed tone, "If you don't mind, let's have a bout between us—how does that sound?" Bone You's face flushed slightly. Both of them were strong warriors at the half-Saint level; when at their peak, the outcome of a match would be evenly matched. But given his current condition, his chances of defeating Elder Yao were no more than a third. "Yao Chen, don't act so confident before me. The strength of my Houn clan far surpasses that of your Xingyin Pavilion. If I summon one more elder from our clan, I'll see just how far you'll go!" "Though we know we can't win now, Bone You still won't waver a bit. At that moment, he coldly laughed. "When it comes to facing people, our ancient clan needn't fear you!" However, as soon as Bone You finished speaking, Xun'er and the others swiftly approached, finally appearing behind Yao Chen. With a gentle grasp of her jade hand, a spatial scroll materialized and was instantly crushed by her fingers, sending out ripples of spatial energy. A rift in space then unfolded, and gradually, an elderly figure stepped out, slowly emerging amidst the awkward expressions of Bone You and his companions. "Heh, I didn't expect things to be this lively here." As the elderly figure appeared, a familiar, gentle laugh echoed softly. "Senior Tongxuan?" Upon seeing this figure, Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback. This elder was indeed the same one Xiao Yan had encountered during his time in the Ancient Realm—the Senior Tongxuan. "Hehe, Xiao Yan, it's good to see you again..." The Tongxuan Elder smiled at Xiao Yan, then glanced over him with a slightly surprised expression, before finally turning to the side to address the elderly physician, with a warm smile. "This must be the renowned Ye Master who once dominated the Central Region—though now, perhaps 'Ye Saint' would be more fitting." In response to the Tongxuan Elder's greeting, the elderly physician bowed slightly, smiled warmly, and offered a few courteous remarks. "Master Tongxuan..." Seeing that the Tongxuan Elder had exchanged greetings with Xiao Yan and the others, Gu Qingyang quietly summarized the events that had just unfolded. "The Huan Clan has been growing increasingly assertive these days..." Upon hearing Gu Qingyang's words, the Tongxuan Elder's brows furrowed slightly, then fixed a somewhat displeased gaze upon Gu You. Under the watchful gaze of the two half-Saint-level masters, the Elder Bone-You, his expression grew slightly uneasy. While he could still rely on the strength of the Hún Clan to feel confident against the Starfall Pavilion, facing the ancient Gu Clan demanded a certain level of caution—this equally ancient and formidable primordial race. The Hún Clan's master warriors, led by Hún Yú, swiftly moved to position behind Bone-You, their faces looking at the opposing array with growing concern. The current situation had instantly nullified their strategic advantages. "Heard this, the Huan Yu was momentarily stunned, then hesitated, shaking her head: 'No...'" Upon hearing this, Bone You frowned, exhaled softly, and said, "Then let's withdraw. The ancient clan members are also here. If we summon more powerful figures again, they will surely do the same. That would inevitably reveal our strength—something unfavorable to us." Seeing that Bone You intended to give up, Huan Yu felt a touch of reluctance, yet he understood the current situation. Bone You had already been severely injured by the terrifying Fire Lotus of Xiao Yan, and managing to handle just one half-Saint-level warrior was already a significant challenge. Now, facing two half-Saints, the situation was even more daunting. Though the Tian Yao Huang Clan undoubtedly had some half-Saint-level elders, the birds—being rather independent—would certainly not be willing to form an alliance with the ancient clan. Thus, it was unlikely that the Nine Fengs could successfully summon reinforcements to assist the array. "Tongxuan, don't exaggerate. Once my injuries heal, whatever you wish, I'll be ready to accommodate you at any time..." Bone You stared coldly at Tongxuan Elder, his voice cold and firm. "There's no need for you to worry about that. Our Star-Perished Pavilion is a tough opponent—should your Soul Palace truly decide to come at us, we'll make sure you break several of your teeth." The Herbal Elder smiled calmly. For years, their relationship with the Soul Palace had been one of unyielding rivalry; any soft words they offered were utterly useless. So what further face did they need to show? "I hope, when our forces finally lay siege to your city, you're still able to say something like that," Bone-Yu scoffed, then said no more. With a cold, fierce gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, he suddenly turned and surged forward toward the outer reaches of the Primeval Ancient Domain. Behind him, the Soul Clan's elite, including Soul Jade, hurried reluctantly to follow. Seeing the Soul Clan members retreat humbly, the delegation from the Sky-Phoenix Clan also dared not linger any longer and quickly joined them. Gazing at the figure that had vanished in an instant, Xiao Yan felt a touch of regret, sighing, "It's a pity. Aside from the severe injury to Guoyou, the Huns' Hall didn't suffer any major losses this time." "Heh, you've managed to push a half-Saint-level powerhouse to such a state—this is no small feat," the old doctor smiled. "They have to leave, and that's simply unavoidable. The Huns are simply too strong. If we were to fight them head-on, we'd inevitably bear the brunt of the losses." "Brother Yao is right," Xiao Yan agreed. "The Huns are elusive and hard to predict, extremely difficult to contend with. Even our ancient clan usually hesitates to push them to the point of desperation. To have them flee at all is already a commendable outcome." The Tongxuan elder smiled and nodded in agreement, then glanced at the group before pausing to say, "Well, since the matter of the Bodhi Ancient Tree has now been settled, we should hurry back to the Ancient Realm. These elder figures have already done quite a bit to secure Xin'er's departure—should we delay any longer, they'll surely keep pressing us again and again..." Hearing this, a touch of reluctance flickered in Xin'er's beautiful eyes. Yet she understood clearly that, until she reached the rank of Battle Saint, the elders in her family would never be at ease with her staying abroad for too long. With a gentle gaze toward Xiao Yan, she softly said, "Xiao Yan, please take good care of yourselves. The Houn Clan is known for holding grudges—this time, you've given them a significant setback. Once they regain their strength, they will surely come to confront the Star-Plunging Pavilion." "Hmm." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He understood that although the Xingyun Pavilion's strength was growing rapidly, it still fell short of the elite power of the Hún Clan. Should they truly launch a full-scale invasion, it would indeed be a serious concern. "So this time, upon returning, I must immediately enter meditation, refine the Bodhi Heart, and ascend to the rank of Half-Emperor. Otherwise, when the Hún Palace makes its move, the Xingyun Pavilion will surely face danger..." "Relax," smiled the Tongxuan Elder. "Our ancient clan has been closely monitoring the Hún Clan's activities. As soon as they make any significant move, we'll be informed. Moreover, given the Xingyun Pavilion's current strength, they would need to dispatch at least two Half-Emperor-level warriors to overwhelm us. Such a force has not been mobilized by the Hún Clan in many years. Therefore, there's no need to be overly worried." "And should such a situation ever arise, our ancient clan certainly won't remain passive. You possess the ancient jade—our clan will not allow it to fall into the hands of the Hún Clan." "Then it would be a pleasure to have Elder Tongxuan take care of it," Xiao Yan smiled slightly. "Hmm, nothing at all," Elder Tongxuan waved his hand, saying, "It's getting late now—our journey should begin soon. We'll meet again soon!" As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Tongxuan bowed slightly to Yao Lao, then, without waiting for anyone else to speak, swept his sleeve and released a surge of spatial energy that enveloped Xun'er and the others, swiftly carrying them out of the sky.