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**
Inside the secret chamber.
As the two chatted idly—
Hmm?
Suddenly, the black ring on Xiao Yan's finger trembled slightly, and Yao Lao's faint, illusory figure slowly floated out.
"Master, you're awake!" Xiao Yan said excitedly.
"Yao Lao." Wei Yang's face also revealed a genuine smile of joy.
It had been four or five years since they last parted in that mysterious valley. Now, seeing each other again—
Looking at Yao Lao's current appearance, with his head full of white hair and his frail, aging form, there was no longer the calm grace or senior bearing him once had. What remained was only the weakness of a man nearing the end of his years.
Seeing this, Wei Yang couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
Over these years, although Yao Lao had not lost his life while imprisoned by the Hall of Souls, it was obvious he had suffered greatly. Floating cross-legged in midair, Yao Lao's cloudy eyes looked at the two young men before him, and a weak but warm smile slowly appeared on his face.
His lips trembled slightly as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "You two little brats, you've finally grown up. After all these years, seeing you like this… old me is truly happy."
It had been years since they last met, and the two youths from back then had grown so much. This, Yao Lao hadn't expected. Both had stepped into the Dou Zun realm, with Wei Yang even reaching the Six-Star level. Their growth rate was simply astonishing.
Yao Lao sighed in admiration.
All three of them smiled, yet for a moment, none could find the words to say. That single sentence from Yao Lao alone was enough to fill Xiao Yan's heart with a deep sourness. He turned slightly, quietly wiping the corner of his eyes.
"Hm? Your soul powers…"
Yao Lao suddenly made a surprised sound, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yan and Wei Yang.
Though he was extremely weak now, his vast experience and insight remained. He immediately noticed that their soul power felt… different. Not only had Xiao Yan broken into the Spirit Realm, but Wei Yang's level was even more astonishing.
From Wei Yang's body, Yao Lao could faintly feel a trace of pressure—and an oddly familiar aura. This was the peak of the Spirit Realm, a half-step Heaven Realm!
His eyes flashed with surprise, then filled with pride as he nodded repeatedly, "Good, very good! You've already reached this step."
In just a few short years since they had parted, Wei Yang had made such shocking progress in the Soul Path—it far exceeded Yao Lao's expectations. Peak Spirit Realm—he had caught up to himself! And how old was Wei Yang now?
Such soul talent… was something Yao Lao had never seen before in his entire life.
The three continued chatting for a while. Most of the talking was done by Xiao Yan, recounting everything that had happened over the years. Occasionally, Wei Yang would chime in to add a few details.
Yao Lao listened with a gentle smile throughout. When he heard that the two had participated in the Pill Gathering and even achieved the unprecedented feat of dual championship, Yao Lao couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
He didn't even need to imagine to know what kind of expressions Xuan Kongzi and the others must have had at that moment.
A disciple and a student—winning both championships.
What a marvelous thing!
Yao Lao couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh aloud. Then Xiao Yan began to talk about the events in the Star Region.
"Master, look." Xiao Yan flipped his palm, and instantly, a purple-brown flame surged up from his hand.
"This is…" Yao Lao's expression turned startled as he looked at the flame in Xiao Yan's palm and felt its immense power. Then, as if realizing something, his eyes lit up with joy. In a low voice, he asked, "With such power… how many Heavenly Flames have you devoured?"
"Counting the Three Thousand Burning Flame, five in total." Xiao Yan grinned, "And when I devoured the Three Thousand Burning Flame this time, Brother Wei helped me a lot."
"Already five…" Yao Lao murmured softly, his tone filled with both amazement and emotion.
He then glanced again at Wei Yang. Heavenly Flames were rare treasures of heaven and earth—many alchemists never even encountered one in their entire lives. Yet Wei Yang had managed to find them time and again.
Adding the Ghostly Poison Flame and the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame, plus Xiao Yan's five flames. A total of seven Heavenly Flames, whether directly or indirectly, could all be said to be connected to Wei Yang.
At this thought, Wei Yang smiled.
That wasn't even counting Ah Da's Nine Serene Wind Flame, and that Life Spirit Flame. If he were to mention it all, wouldn't Yao Lao's jaw probably drop?
He remained calm in his heart. Heavenly Flames and such... they were nothing much to him anymore. At least in Wei Yang's eyes, they were no longer rare treasures.
"Feng Zun Zhe and the others are all waiting outside. Why don't we go meet them first?" Wei Yang said with a smile.
"Mm, I haven't seen that old man Feng in a long time either." Yao Lao smiled and nodded.
Wei Yang waved his sleeve.
Rumble~
The secret chamber door slowly opened. Immediately, over a dozen figures stepped quickly inside.
"Old fellow, you finally woke up." Feng Zun Zhe looked at Yao Chen, his face showing both joy and emotion. But when he saw how weak the latter appeared, he couldn't help but ask, "How are you feeling?"
"It's nothing, much better now." Yao Lao waved his hand. When he saw the large group of Dou Zun walking in, he was a bit surprised, then cupped his hands and said, "This time, I truly troubled everyone."
Naturally, everyone responded with polite words.
"Old guy, it's fortunate that Wei Yang and Xiao Yan were there this time, otherwise, we probably couldn't have saved you."
Feng Zun Zhe shook his head with some guilt. "When I learned you'd been taken by Hall of Souls, I searched everywhere for help, wanting to rescue you as soon as possible. But in the end, the only one I could find was Tie Jian."
He gave a bitter smile as he continued, "With just me and Tie Jian, we probably wouldn't even have made it past Hall of Souls's gates."
To this, Yao Lao simply smiled and said nothing. People drift apart, that's how life is. Especially when your opponent is a force like the Hall of Souls. However—
Yao Lao turned toward Tie Jian and smiled. "Tie Jian, it's rare that you were willing to risk offending Hall of Souls to come save this old bag of bones. Thank you."
Tie Jian Zun Zhe's face twitched into a stiff smile. "Senior Yao is too polite. You once did me a great favor. Now that my great vengeance is avenged, I've nothing left to hold onto. I came this time ready to die… but I didn't expect…"
As he spoke, Tie Jian glanced at Wei Yang and Xiao Yan. "This time, I didn't contribute much. The younger generation truly surpasses us!"
"Every generation produces new talents. We old ones are getting on in years." Feng Zun Zhe added, sounding half self-deprecating.
"Hehe."
Everyone chuckled lightly, not pursuing the topic further. Yao Lao also smiled silently, though there was unmistakable pride and satisfaction on his face. But soon, his gaze was drawn to two little ones nearby.
They were two adorable toddlers, carved like jade, clutching at their mothers' legs, peeking out curiously at the slightly transparent old man before them. Seeing this, Yao Lao's eyes lit up instantly. He turned to Wei Yang and asked, "Brat Wei, who are they?"
Wei Yang waved at the two children, beckoning them over with a smile. "They're my children."
"Oh?" Yao Lao was surprised, then overjoyed.
The two little ones trotted over and dove into Wei Yang's arms, their dark eyes fixed on Yao Lao. Wei Yang patted their heads gently and said with a smile, "Go on, greet your Grandmaster."
Upon hearing that, the two children obediently stood up and called out crisply in unison, "Grandmaster."
"Ah, ah, ah." That soft, milky voice nearly melted Yao Lao's heart, leaving him flustered and fumbling. After a moment, he finally steadied himself, his face blooming into an endlessly kind smile as he said softly, "Come, come to Grandmaster."
The two children looked back at Wei Yang, and when they saw him nod, they toddled over on their short legs.
"Good children, good children, so obedient, so good." Yao Lao's smile was as bright as a flower. He reached out his transparent hand, gently stroking their little heads, his expression emotional, murmuring words of affection nonstop.
Everyone looked on with smiles at this warm scene.
"Tell Grandmaster, what are your names, hmm?" Yao Lao asked kindly.
"My name's Wei Ye, also called Da Bao."
"My name's Wei Shuo, also called Xiao Bao."
The two little ones replied brightly.
"Good, good, Da Bao, Xiao Bao, so good, so good." Yao Lao laughed so hard his face nearly wrinkled into folds as he pulled both children into his arms.
Old people and children—there's always a natural bond there. The so-called "generation gap affection" truly wasn't without reason.
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