Returning once more to the Tianfu Alliance, one is struck by fresh impressions. Over the months since Xiao Yan's departure, the Alliance has maintained a steady and flourishing momentum. After defeating the Spirit Temple, it has remained humble and composed—an attitude that has earned quiet admiration from numerous sects and power factions. A true measure of a faction's strength lies not only in its resilience during adversity but also in its ability to withstand the erosion that often follows success. Fortunately, the Alliance has proven capable of enduring such pressures, solidifying its strength to the point that no one can now question it. In these past months, no further news has emerged regarding the Spirit Temple. The intense friction that once characterized their relationship has dramatically diminished—now, the situation appears as though a once-dominant force in Zhongzhou is gradually fading from the public eye. Yet regarding this unusual behavior of the Huadian, the high-level leaders of the Alliance remain deeply vigilant. Having interacted with the Huadian for so many years, they are thoroughly familiar with its nature—and thus, absolutely do not believe that, after suffering such significant losses, this enigmatic force will so easily settle for a peaceful resolution. What does puzzle them, however, is that despite dispatching numerous spies to investigate the Huadian's actions, they have still failed to gather any valuable intelligence. This very point not only deepens the Alliance's confusion but also intensifies their vigilance. The Huadian's quiet demeanor now evokes a growing sense of impending storm—an atmosphere of mounting tension. When Xiao Yan returned to the Alliance, the young healer who had accompanied him to the Beast Realm, as well as Qinglin, had already returned. From their accounts, it was learned that after Xiao Yan's departure, the Sky-Phoenix Clan had evacuated. Subsequently, after nearly a month of deliberation, the Nine-Deep Earth-Mythical Python Clan proposed forming a strategic alliance with the Heavenly Palace Alliance. Upon discussion, the Heavenly Palace Alliance warmly accepted this proposal. Although the Nine-Deep Earth-Mythical Python Clan was not as strong as the Sky-Phoenix Clan, they were still one of the three major clans in the Beast Kingdom. Moreover, their sheer numbers far surpassed those of the Sky-Phoenix and other clans. Such a powerful ally was precisely what the current Alliance most needed. The alliance between the two parties has undoubtedly stirred significant waves across Zhongzhou and the Beast Realm. Various species within the Beast Realm, which previously harbored aspirations toward the Jiyou Di Minglong Clan, have now been compelled to temper their ambitions. They are well aware of the Tianfu Alliance’s strength—indeed, among all the clans in the Beast Realm, only the Tianyao Huang Clan comes close to matching it. With such a powerful ally, the Jiyou Di Minglong Clan’s standing has become unshakable; even the Tianyao Huang Clan may now hesitate to launch large-scale, ambitious campaigns as they once did. After returning to the Alliance, Xiao Yan also shared with a few of the top-tier senior leaders the news of the Too-Empty Ancient Dragon Clan's support for the Alliance. The result was immediate enthusiasm—the Too-Empty Ancient Dragon Clan remained a highly mysterious and powerful presence even among many of today's Zhongzhou elites. The glory of the Clan during its peak years still left deep impressions on many people. For the Tianfu Alliance, such a significant alliance indeed came as a major shock. This alliance, which offered substantial benefits to Tianfu, faced no opposition and was swiftly finalized on the spot. Yet, the truly impactful news remained undisclosed. By keeping this powerful ally in the shadows, Tianfu could achieve a strategic advantage through surprise, and also allow the Too-Empty Ancient Dragon Clan ample time to recover and stabilize. … Back at the Alliance, without the provocations from Hunshe, Xiao Yan's life once again became unusually tranquil. Cai Lin had been in seclusion for years, and now upon her return, she found herself warmly and affectionately bonding with Xiao Xiao, the two mother and daughter spending countless sweet, cozy moments together—something that left Xiao Yan quite helpless. With little involvement in the Alliance's affairs, he found himself particularly at ease. During these tranquil days, aside from essential training, his entire focus was devoted to the Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder power within Xiao Yi's body. He had long coveted this power, yet hesitated to absorb it readily. Thus, over these days of relentless study, he devoted himself entirely to understanding it. However, under such intense dedication, the golden lightning dragon of the Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder not only remained unyielding but, instead, gradually coalesced into a golden thunder orb—about the size of half a fist—under the continuous refinement of Xiao Yi's Qinglian Demon Fire. After taking shape, the golden lightning orb floated within Xiao Yi's right arm, remaining untouched by any method either Xiao Yan or Xiao Yi employed to refine or dissolve it. Even when subjected to the intense, pure lotus妖fire, the effect achieved was only slight. Faced with this situation, Xiao Yan found himself utterly helpless and had to temporarily abandon the effort, allowing the golden lightning orb to remain within Xiao Yi's arm. Following his unsuccessful attempt to resolve the golden lightning orb, Xiao Yan, with ample spare time, accepted a task assigned by the Elder of the Medicine Sect, leading a contingent of elite allies to search for the previously detected branches of the Soul Palace. However, after nearly a month of searching, he discovered that all the branches identified by the Alliance had been completely abandoned—both their souls and the soul essences they had gathered had been entirely removed. It seemed the Soul Palace had anticipated the Alliance's move and had thus decisively abandoned these discovered branches. For this situation, Xiao Yan felt somewhat helpless—it seemed that after the previous incident when the Human Hall was destroyed, the Spirit Hall had become much more astute. Despite a series of fruitless searches, Xiao Yan could only return with no accomplishments after finally dismantling these branch halls. Yet, to his surprise, the old medicine master merely offered a calm, gentle smile, showing little surprise at the outcome. "According to the intelligence we've gathered, the Spirit Hall has essentially abandoned all its branch halls that could potentially be discovered by us, transferring everything to their central location. What's puzzling, however, is that even though the Spirit Hall anticipated our attacks and was concerned about us destroying these branches, they didn't need to evacuate them so thoroughly." In a stone pavilion within the Star Realm, the old medicine master gazed at Xiao Yan, who had returned with his team, and spoke slowly. Xiao Yan also nodded slightly. Some of the branch palaces were so small that it simply didn't warrant any enthusiasm or effort to destroy them. Yet even these smaller ones had been reduced to nothing but dust—this was far too decisive. "I've dispatched people to the Beast Realm to request assistance from the Nine-Deep Earth-Mortar Serpent Clan. They are numerous and far more adept at investigation than we are. The Hún Palace's actions surely conceal some hidden reasons..." the old pharmacist said solemnly. "When things are out of the ordinary, something unusual must be at play. The Hún Palace... I wonder what they truly intend." Xiao Yan also furrowed his brows, sensing that this time, their intentions were likely far more significant. "Speculating at random will do no good. We'll simply have to wait for the final investigation results." The old pharmacist shook his head, finding the sense of passive waiting somewhat uncomfortable. Xiao Yan nodded, then suddenly turned his gaze to the old pharmacist, speaking softly, "Master, I believe our family's Pharmacopoeia is nearly complete now." Hearing this, the herbal master's hand, which had just lifted the teacup, trembled instantly. After a moment of silence, he slightly nodded and said, "One month from now." As soon as the words fell, his expression grew complex. That race—he had not returned since the day he left. Yet now, he had to go back again. He had promised his parents, just before their passing, that he would diligently cultivate and eventually inscribe their names on the clan's ancestral stele. The ancestral stele was the clan's honor monument, where only those who achieved great accomplishments could freely leave their names. For every member of the clan, this was a lifelong aspiration, and the herbal master himself had never been an exception. Having wandered alone across the continent for many years, though he now had some accomplishments, he realized that returning to the clan to fulfill his parents' wishes would not be easy. Certain members of the clan would surely strive to obstruct him. At this thought, the herbal elder gradually tightened his grip on the teacup. Gazing at the elder's composed yet thoughtful expression, Xiao Yan smiled gently and said, "Master, on the clan's ancestral tablet, let it be as you see fit—everything else, I shall handle." Xiao Yan's voice was soft and calm, yet carried a strong sense of confidence and determination.