"An alliance?" Hearing this, the elders of the medicine sect all paused, then seemed to ponder thoughtfully. "Even without mentioning the Spirit Clan, just speaking of the Spirit Temple—its strength alone is sufficient to command the respect of the Starfall Pavilion. Our Starfall Pavilion has already been at odds with them, and a full-blown rivalry in the future seems very likely." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, speaking softly, "And given our current strength, if such a confrontation truly arises, our chances of defeat would be quite high. Therefore, to stand a chance against the Spirit Temple, we must seek allies." "That won't be easy, though. The Spirit Temple's influence is so strong—besides us, who dares to stand up to them?" Cai Lin furrowed her brows. "Exactly because the Spirit Temple is so dominant, we have this opportunity," Xiao Yan smiled. "Those people have done quite a few things that have deeply angered both humans and deities in their pursuit of gathering souls. Take the Dan Tower, for instance—they harbor deep resentment toward the Spirit Temple. If it weren't for their fear of the Spirit Temple's strength, they would have already mobilized their forces to confront them." "The Hall of Souls particularly delights in gathering powerful souls, and among those with the strongest souls, the majority are alchemists. Over the years, it's no surprise how many alchemists the Hall has quietly eliminated. The Dan Tower is well aware of these matters, though they've merely held their ground thus far. "Heard this, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised, pausing thoughtfully. Suddenly, he said, 'I recall that Master Xuankong mentioned that the three leading figures of the Dan Tower once fought against the Grand Master of the Soul Palace?' If this had been the case earlier, when he was less familiar with the Soul Palace, he might have believed it. But now, he finds himself rather doubtful. Within the Soul Palace alone, there are already two Grand Masters who have reached the level of Advanced Half-Immortal. The even more enigmatic Grand Master of the Soul Palace must surely surpass Bone You in strength. How could the three of Master Xuankong possibly have been their match? 'Ah, that's true enough,' the old doctor chuckled, 'but those weren't the true Grand Master himself—only a fragment of his soul residing within a powerful Soul Palace warrior. They did face off against them, and even then, the three of them suffered a crushing defeat. Just don't mention this to the three of them, or they'll feel embarrassed.'" As the laughter faded, the elderly pharmacist turned to Xiao Yishen and the others, saying, "Common people are only familiar with the Dan Tower, yet few know that within the Dan Tower, there exists a smaller Dan Tower." "A smaller Dan Tower?" Hearing this, not only Xiao Yishen and her companions were taken aback, but even Xiao Yan himself looked utterly astonished—this was clearly the first time he had heard of such a thing. "Few people qualify to enter this smaller Dan Tower. In fact, even the former Xiao Yan might have barely met the requirements..." smiled the elderly pharmacist. "The first criterion for entry into the smaller Dan Tower is that one must be able to produce an eighth-grade Dan Pill infused with seven-colored Dan Lightning, and simultaneously achieve a spiritual soul at the Ling Realm level." "Seven-colored Dan Lightning, a soul at the Ling Realm—indeed, quite demanding," nodded Xiao Yan. Before he reached the rank of Battle Saint, producing such an eighth-grade pill with seven-colored Dan Lightning had been a challenge, so it was no surprise that the former him had not always qualified to enter the smaller Dan Tower. "The people inside the Small Dan Tower are truly the core of the Dan Tower, and precisely because of their presence, the Soul Palace hasn't been overly harsh toward the Dan Tower. Those elder beings there are of extremely ancient lineage—some even require me to bow and pay homage merely upon meeting them." The Herbal Elder smiled calmly. "Also, in my earlier days, I once resided within the Small Dan Tower, though I found its atmosphere rather unfamiliar and eventually chose to leave on my own. The Small Dan Tower doesn't have rigid regulations—entry is difficult, but exit is easy." Xiao Yan silently nodded, impressed. Indeed, the Dan Tower was far more complex than it first appeared. To be considered a power equal to the Soul Palace was no mere afterthought. "However, regarding the alliance you mentioned, it does seem feasible. The relationship between the Dan Tower and the Soul Palace is far more strained than you might imagine, and the people within the Small Dan Tower harbor significant resentment toward them." "Ah?" Xiao Yan's expression brightened slightly, clearly pleased. "At the height of Xiao Dan Tower's development, the then abbot had accepted a disciple who, within just forty years, surpassed many senior monks with decades more experience than him. Yet, a sudden accident later revealed his true identity—no one had expected him to be a envoy sent by the Hún Clan. When the secret came to light, the abbot, honoring their master-student bond, spared him. But the same person, who had shown such callousness, secretly allied with powerful Hún Clan members and ultimately struck him down." Yao Lao sighed, deeply moved. Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only smile wistfully. The abbot's fate, in fact, was even more tragic than Yao Lao's. "At that time, a full-scale war broke out between Dan Tower and Hún Palace, though the latter suffered heavy losses and was forced to suppress the conflict. Yet these grievances never fade with time—they only grow stronger." "Master Yao spoke softly, 'Therefore, forming an alliance with them to jointly oppose the Spirit Palace is by no means impossible.' Xiao Yan nodded, his eyes filled with joy. If they could indeed win over the Dan Tower and establish such an alliance, their strength would surge dramatically, enabling them to join the ranks of the continent's top powers. Even then, should the Spirit Palace decide to act, they would surely have to carefully consider their move. 'But don't get too excited yet. Though the younger Dan Tower holds strong resentment toward the Spirit Palace, gaining the approval of those stubborn elders to support the alliance will undoubtedly prove to be a significant challenge,' Master Yao remarked, gently cooling Xiao Yan's enthusiasm. 'Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, we must at least make an attempt.' Xiao Yan smiled. No matter how low the chances, he firmly believed they had to try—otherwise, relying solely on the Xingyin Pavilion would simply not be enough to stand against the Spirit Palace. 'Yes. Once the affairs of the Xingyin Pavilion are settled, I will personally accompany you to the Dan Tower.' The herbal master stroked his beard, pondering for a moment, then finally nodded firmly. Xiao Yan smiled and nodded in return. Naturally, the herbal master had a closer relationship with the Dan Tower than he did, and with his presence, things would surely be much smoother. "Besides the Huan Pavilion, perhaps we can also bring in the Hua Sect and the Burned Flame Valley. Both of these sects enjoy high prestige throughout the Central Plains. If they join our alliance, it will surely inspire many other sects that have suffered under the Huan Pavilion's pressure to follow suit. Together, these forces would form a truly formidable power," Ci Lin mused, having personally witnessed the integration of the earlier Inflame Alliance and thus well aware of the strength such a coalition could bring. "Within the Hua Sect, there are two Senior Masters who have not appeared publicly in many years. Both of them possess half-Saint level capabilities. Even ordinary disciples of the Hua Sect are unaware of their existence." "The old pharmacist smiled faintly, "These two elders once owed me a favor back in the day, and with your connection to Yun Yun, it shouldn't be difficult to secure the Huazong's participation in the alliance." "Oh?" Hearing that the Huazong itself harbored two peak cultivators at the half-Saint level, Xiao Yan was genuinely surprised. When he first visited the Huazong, he had completely failed to sense their presence. "Hmm," the old pharmacist chuckled. "How could a sect that has established itself firmly in the Central Region and maintained such a long lineage lack any depth? Just like the Tianming Elder Demon of the Tianming Sect..." With his immense seniority and broad network of acquaintances from his youth, he was well-acquainted with the hidden masters within various sects. "As for Burned Flame Valley, it's not as straightforward as you might have thought. Just remember that its founder was no less formidable than your ancestor Xiao Yan. According to my knowledge, there's also an elder within Burned Flame Valley who possesses advanced half-Saint strength. I'm not entirely sure whether he has now reached the true Saint level, but back then, he was certainly a renowned figure." Xiao Yan chuckled slightly, finally realizing that in the past, he had indeed underestimated many of the older sects across the Central Plains—how could any of them have achieved such standing if they were merely ordinary? "The elder from Burned Flame Valley has a rather odd temperament—he's been detached from worldly affairs for years, so convincing him to join the Alliance isn't exactly straightforward..." The old pharmacist smiled slightly. "In fact, he suffered severe injuries during his youth, which have left lasting effects. If we can resolve this issue, given his personality, securing Burned Flame Valley's commitment to the Alliance won't be too difficult." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded slowly, his eyes glowing with growing enthusiasm. The powers capable of joining the Alliance far exceeded his expectations. Should they ultimately unite into a single, cohesive alliance, it would undoubtedly become one of the most formidable forces in the Central Plains. "The Alliance's formation must be completed before the emergence of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire..." Xiao Yan's gaze flickered. Such a rare and powerful flame would surely prompt the Hún Clan to intervene. If they didn't have solid backing, what would they have to offer in competition? Relying on him alone clearly wouldn't be reliable—like a single tiger struggling against a pack of wolves. His ancestor Xiao Xuan had personally demonstrated the truth of this to Xiao Yan. Therefore, the alliance's matter must be resolved as soon as possible!