Chapter Seventy-One: The Ancestral Hall

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to depart. On this early morning, Yaoye, Tang Ze, and Liu Xin waited anxiously, their eyes scanning their surroundings.

“What’s going on? Why hasn’t Elder Fu arrived yet?” Liu Xin asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“Don’t worry, let’s wait a little longer.” Tang Ze had barely finished speaking when several figures descended from the sky.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting! Let’s set out at once!” Elder Fu and two other elders soared toward them.

Tang Ze looked at the newcomers in surprise. “Elder Fu, I didn’t expect you could invite these two gentlemen!”

Elder Fu smiled lightly. “Come, Yaoye, let me introduce you. These are the leaders of the Demon Exorcist Guard: Chief Wei Bo and Deputy Chief Tang Lin. The Demon Exorcist Guard may seem distant to you now, but once you reach the battlefield between humans and demons, you’ll understand.”

Yaoye and Liu Xin hurriedly clasped their hands in greeting. “Greetings, elders! Thank you for your trouble.”

Wei Bo nodded with a smile. “You must be Yaoye. I’ve heard about you from Liu Qing. Work hard in your cultivation, for the future will need you to take up the mantle! Haha!”

Yaoye replied with calm dignity, “You flatter me, Elder Wei. I will do my utmost to drive the demons from the Phoenix Dance Continent.”

Elder Fu interrupted their conversation. “This is no time for reminiscence. Let’s go! Let’s depart!”

The figures shot into the sky. Along the way, Tang Ze, like a commoner, accompanied Yaoye in flight, while Elder Fu and the others surrounded Yaoye and Liu Xin, wary of any mishap.

Their expressions remained stern and full of murderous resolve throughout the journey, the very air growing heavier around them.

Upon entering the primeval forest, the group chose to proceed on foot. The birds and beasts seemed to have vanished, leaving the surroundings deathly silent. Elder Fu’s brow furrowed tightly.

“Everyone, stay alert. There’s something wrong—the silence is terrifying.”

“Don’t worry, Elder Fu,” Yaoye explained. “I have no energy left, so I can no longer control my aura. What you’re sensing is the presence of a high-ranking being—my aura is affecting the surroundings.”

With Yaoye’s explanation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Xin looked at the group in confusion.

“With so many experts among us, what is there to fear from the demon clans?”

Wei Bo chuckled softly at Liu Xin’s question. “Little girl, you don’t know. We’re not afraid, but if we are held up, then you and Yaoye will be in danger. We cannot risk that.”

Liu Xin bowed apologetically to Wei Bo, and the group proceeded cautiously toward the ruins of the Heavenly Demon Wolf clan.

As the ruins came into view, everyone instinctively relaxed. Elder Fu stepped forward, extending his spiritual power all around. The others watched his closed eyes in silence, not daring to disturb him. After about a quarter of an hour, his spiritual power ebbed away like a tide.

“There are no ambushes nearby. Yaoye, you lead the way from here.”

Yaoye nodded and walked ahead, gazing at the familiar surroundings, his fists clenched and head bowed. Fury welled up in his heart, his emotions surging.

“Father, Mother, my clansmen—I have returned! I vow that when I come again, I’ll bring the head of Xiong Batian to honor your memory!”

Liu Xin, ever attentive, noticed Yaoye’s turmoil. She quickly caught up to him, gently grasping his hand. Feeling Liu Xin’s warmth, Yaoye lifted his head.

“Thank you, Senior Sister. It’s so good to have you by my side.”

Liu Xin smiled and nodded, and the group made their way toward the ancestral hall of the Heavenly Demon Wolf clan.

Inside the hall, Yaoye came to a halt. “This is the place where our Heavenly Demon Wolf lineage awakens its bloodline power.”

Elder Fu surveyed the surroundings. “Yaoye, it doesn’t seem as mysterious as you described. Rather ordinary, I’d say.”

Yaoye smiled and said nothing. He forced a drop of blood from his fingertip; the blood was drawn by an invisible force, flying toward a spirit tablet high up in the hall.

Instantly, the light and air around them twisted and distorted. The group stared in astonishment at the changes before their eyes.

After a while, a portal appeared in front of them, arousing everyone’s curiosity.

“Elder Fu, please guard this portal for me. Behind it lies the resting place of my ancestors and the blood pool of the Heavenly Demon Wolf clan. I need only three days to awaken my bloodline.”

“Go ahead, Yaoye. Leave the outside to us. I won’t let anyone disturb you.”

Yaoye glanced at Liu Xin, who gave him an encouraging look. Yaoye turned and stepped into the portal.