The first person was a man who appeared to be in his thirties with a faint smile on his face. He wore a set of silver robes and had a head of long black hair that trailed down to his waist.
Behind him was a stunning silver-haired beauty with skin as fair as snow, and shimmering silver locks that looked as if they had been forged from pure silver.
"We pay our respects to Senior Ao Xiao and welcome Senior Ao Xiao to the holy island!"
All of the people in the hall were ecstatic to see the silver-robed man, and they hurriedly rose to their feet before extending respectful bows.
This man was the only Grand Ascension Stage being of the demon race, the vastly renowned Patriarch Ao Xiao.
"No need for formalities. I can see that there's a mix of familiar faces and ones that I'm only now seeing for the first time here," the silver-robed man said with a smile.
"Please take a seat, Senior Ao Xiao," the white-haired elderly man said as he hurriedly vacated the main seat in the hall.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before taking a step forward, and everyone felt their vision blur before he somehow appeared in front of the chair, then calmly took a seat.
Chapter 1974: Discussion
The silver-haired woman also strode into the hall and stood behind Patriarch Ao Xiao, completely ignoring everyone's bewildered eyes.
The white-haired elderly swept his spiritual sense toward the woman to find that she was a late-Spatial Tempering Stage demonic cultivator, and he couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who this is?"
"This is my granddaughter, Ling Long. You may not have met her before, but I'm sure you've heard of her," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
A hint of surprise flashed through the elderly man's eyes upon hearing this, and he said in a polite manner, "Oh, it's Fairy Ling Long; please forgive me for my rudeness."
Indeed, this woman was none other than Silvermoon, who had parted ways with Han Li in the human world over 1,000 years ago.
Of course, this Silvermoon was different from the Silvermoon of the past; she had fused the split soul and possessed the complete soul of Silvermoon.
Everyone else was also rather surprised to hear who this woman was.
The holy island held a very special status among both the human and demon races, so the beings on the island naturally paid close attention to the seven demon monarchs that ruled over the demon race.
Fairy Ling Long was Wolf Monarch Tian Kui's concubine, and she had once been sealed in the human world for many years. All of the elders of the holy island had heard about how her relationship with Wolf Monarch Tian Kui had become rather strained following her return to the Spirit Realm, even though this was only the first time that they had met her.
Silvermoon paid no heed to this and merely stood in silence behind Patriarch Ao Xiao with her head slightly lowered.
"Senior Ao Xiao, to what do we owe this pleasure? Have you recovered from your last tribulation transcendence?" the red-haired man asked in a respectful manner.
"My last tribulation transcendence was indeed a bit of an ordeal, but after resting for so many years, I've already completely recovered. Otherwise, I wouldn't have appeared here. As for why I came to the holy island, I was naturally invited here by Fellow Daoist Mo," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a faint smile.
"Does this mean you've already met Senior Mo? That's fantastic news! He also fell completely into obscurity after leaving the holy island all those years ago, and we've been very concerned about him," the clean-shaven man said as an ecstatic look appeared in his eyes.
"Hehe, he's not even as old as I am; there's no need to be concerned for him. Alright, I won't waste any further time with my rambling. On this occasion, I was asked to come here by Fellow Daoist Mo to deliver a message for him, and also to remain on the island for a while," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.
The clean-shaven man's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he asked in a respectful manner, "What message does Senior Mo have for us?"
"Fellow Daoist Mo recently received news that the location of the holy island seems to have been leaked to the Elder Devil Race. The devilish army currently doesn't possess the power to pose a threat to the holy island yet, but we still have to take some precautions just in case. The holy island holds an extremely important status in our two races; if something were to happen to this place, morale would plummet to an unsalvageable degree," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a grim look appeared on his face.
"The location of the holy island has been leaked again? But that's impossible! The holy island only just teleported to a new location; it won't be able to teleport again in the near future," one of the Body Integration Stage beings present exclaimed.
"There's no need to panic; I'll be here to hold down the fort. The fact that the location of the holy island was leaked again in such a short time indicates that a devilish spy has most likely infiltrated the island. However, the spy shouldn't be very troublesome to track down; we just have to investigate all of the people who have entered the island since the commencement of the devilish tribulation to find the culprit," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a cold voice.
The white-haired elderly man's heart jolted upon hearing this, and he hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "I'll organize some people to conduct an investigation right away."
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded in response, and after a brief pause, he said something that came as quite a surprise to everyone. "The other message that Fellow Daoist Mo wanted me to relay is that we need to adjust the countermeasures we've originally prepared against the devilish army."
"Why is that? Those countermeasures are all powerful trump cards that took us and Senior Mo over 100 years to devise; surely there won't be any issues with them," the elderly woman asked.
"This is most likely a decision that Fellow Daoist Mo made after meeting the Grand Ascension Stage fellow daoists of the other races. I presume he must've identified some fallacies in the original countermeasures that had been prepared through his communication with those fellow daoists. Rest assured, this doesn't require everything to be torn down and redone anew; only two or three of the countermeasures will need to be adjusted; I'll disclose the specific details to all of you later. Coincidentally, one of the adjustments that need to be made makes the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit redundant as Fellow Daoist Mo has already decided to substitute it with something else. This substitute will only produce a better effect than what it originally would've been, and I've brought the substitute along with me." Patriarch Ao Xiao flipped a hand over as he spoke to produce a jade vial, which he tossed toward the white-haired elderly man.
The elderly man caught the box before removing the lid in a befuddled manner, upon which a stunned look appeared on his face. "This is..."
Patriarch Ao Xiao raised a hand to cut the elderly man off. "If you know what it is, then keep it to yourself; it's best to have as little people know about this thing as possible for now."
The other holy island elders were quite curious about what was in the box, but it was naturally inappropriate for them to pry into such matters.
The elderly man hurriedly gave an affirmative response before carefully stowing the jade box up his sleeve.
The elderly woman hesitated momentarily before asking, "By the way, Senior, have you heard that there's a chance the three devilish patriarchs could descend into our Spirit Realm?"
"I have indeed heard of this, and it was Fellow Daoist Mo who informed me of this in person," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied in a calm manner.
His calm display instilled everyone in the hall with a lot of confidence, and a hint of elation appeared in the elderly woman's eyes as she asked, "Does this mean you've already thought of a countermeasure against them, Senior?"
As opposed to giving a definitive response, Patriarch Ao Xiao waved a hand, and replied in a nonchalant manner, "Hehe, even the average Sacred Ancestor has to expend a vast amount of power to get their true body to descend into the Spirit Realm, let alone the three devilish patriarchs; it won't be that easy f
or them to make their way into this realm. It's still too early to be discussing something like this; we can consider it after we deal with the current threat posed by the devilish army."
All of the Body Integration Stage beings present were left exchanging befuddled glances upon hearing this.
The white-haired elderly man cleared his throat and gave the red-haired man a meaningful look.
The red-haired man seemed to have been reminded of something upon seeing the elderly man's silent signals, and he hurriedly changed the subject. "Indeed, it's still too early to be discussing the three devilish patriarchs. Would you like to hear about some of the specific measures we've prepared on the holy island, Senior Ao Xiao? There are some issues that we're unable to resolve, and we'll require a verdict from you."
A hint of a smile appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face as he nodded in response. "Sure, go ahead."
"Firstly, in order to deal with those low-grade devilish beasts, we've been nurturing an army of spirit beasts, and that army is basically complete. We've also begun breeding some ferocious insects with shorter lifespans, and they should just about reach maturity once our final battle against the devilish army commences. Also, in order to refine those Profound Heavenly Holy Artifacts, we've moved all of the tool refinement masters of our human race onto the island, and they should be able to begin refining the treasures in about half a year. The only matter of concern is that there are several types of materials that are still yet to be delivered to the island, and they'll only be able to get to us after passing through several areas currently controlled by the devilish beings. Hence, we have to decide on someone to send out to receive the materials. I suggest..."
The red-haired man seemed to be responsible for taking care of all general matters on the island, and Patriarch Ao Xiao listened in silence to his report. His expression remained completely unchanged, but the contemplative look in his eyes suggested that he was considering all of the matters that were being raised.
After the red-haired man finished, some of the other people in the hall also stepped forward to report some other matters.
Only after two hours had passed did everyone finish delivering their reports.
After hearing what everyone had to say, Patriarch Ao Xiao didn't make a single decision. Instead, he suddenly rose to his feet with a smile, and said, "It sounds like you've all done quite well. These are all matters that you can take care of on your own; there's no need for an old geezer like me to go around barking orders. I'm rather weary from my journey to get here, so I'll be going to rest now."
Everyone else exchanged a few wide-eyed glances upon hearing this.
The red-haired man was the first to react, and he hurriedly rose to his feet before extending a respectful bow. "In that case, please allow me to organize a place for you to stay, Senior."
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before making his way out of the hall in an unhurried manner, followed closely by Silvermoon.
Only then did everyone else in the hall react to the situation, and they all stood up to bid Patriarch Ao Xiao farewell.
Just as Patriarch Ao Xiao had made it to the entrance of the hall, a thought seemed to suddenly occur to him, and he turned back before pointing at two of the people in the hall as he said, "By the way, you two, come and see me later; I have something to discuss with you."
The people that he had pointed to were the white-haired elderly man and a tall and thin man who had barely spoken at all.
The two of them faltered slightly before hurriedly giving an affirmative response.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before departing from the hall, and as soon as he left, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be in her forties turned to the tall and thin man before asking, "Do you know Patriarch Ao Xiao, Fellow Daoist Xu?"
Chapter 1975: Silvermoon and the Seven Star Moon Physique
"One of my seniors is an old acquaintance of Senior Ao's, so I did see him from afar a few times," the man replied in an ambiguous manner.
"Oh? Then do you know why Senior Ao could be looking for you?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"How would I know? I'm just as confused as you are, Fellow Daoist. Also, Senior Ao didn't just ask to see me on my own; he instructed both myself and Brother Luo to go and see him, so he must have something to tell us," the man replied with a shake of his head.
The middle-aged woman merely smiled and didn't pry any further into the matter.
Following Patriarch Ao Xiao's departure, the rest of the people in the hall didn't have any intention of staying behind, either. After continuing their discussion for a short while longer, the white-haired elderly man announced the conclusion of the meeting, and everyone departed from the hall.
Meanwhile, the red-haired man had already taken Patriarch Ao Xiao and Silvermoon to a secluded area on the island.
Not only was this the area on the island with the greatest abundance of spiritual Qi, there were seven or eight independent pavilions that were spaced out very far apart from one another.
Not only were these pavilions extremely intricate and well constructed, they each had a designated tool refinement chamber, pill refinement chamber, and secret chamber for cultivation purposes.
After leading Patriarch Ao Xiao to this place, the red-haired man asked him to choose a pavilion himself, only for Patriarch Ao Xiao to merely pick a pavilion at random.
The red-haired man naturally didn't dare to state any objections, and after organizing a group of servants for him and Silvermoon, he immediately departed.
Patriarch Ao Xiao sat on the main seat in the hall and raised a hand in an expressionless manner to dismiss the servants in the room. Thus, he and Silvermoon were the only people left in the hall.
He sat on his chair in silence and narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly contemplating something. All the while, Silvermoon stood peacefully beside him, content to remain silent as well.
"At your current cultivation base, there's no reason why you shouldn't have made a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage with all of the pills I've given to you. However, you've failed thrice in the past century; it seems that the only thing holding you back is your inability to get over your own inner demons. If you fail another breakthrough attempt, then you'll most likely find it very difficult to ever make a breakthrough," Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly said.
Silvermoon lowered her head slightly, and replied, "Sorry for disappointing you with my incompetence, Grandfather."
"Looks like it'll be very difficult for you to undo the knot in our heart. Ever since you returned from that lower realm, you've given Tian Kui the cold shoulder and even moved in to live with me. I've never forced you to tell me the reason for this, and I haven't forced you to return to Tian Kui, either, as I wanted you to iron out your own mental state. However, not only has your mental state not improved, the knot in your heart has only grown more convoluted during these past years," Ao Xiao sighed with a shake of his head, and even though the tone he was using was quite benevolent, the faint tinge of disappointment in his voice was still quite apparent.
"Grandfather, Tian Kui and I..." Silvermoon raised her head to argue something, but Patriarch Ao Xiao merely raised a hand to cut her off.
"There's no need for you to explain anything; I know what you want to say. Tian Kui took advantage of my time in seclusion to break his promise to me, planning to harvest your Origin Yin Physique even before you had reached the Body Integration Stage. He failed to do that, so he employed other underhanded methods to split your soul into two, causing you to suffer through the agony of a split soul for over 1,000 years. After that, you descended into that lower realm, and then he tampered with the Star Defying Plate so that you couldn't return to the Spirit Realm in time; do you really need me to run through everything he did?" A furious look suddenly appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face as he spoke, and he slammed his hand down onto the copper armrest of his chair.
A burst of white flames flashed, and the armrest was completely erased from existence.
> "You know about all of this, Grandfather?" Silvermoon shuddered as her face paled drastically.
"Hmph, do you really think I'm so old and senile that I don't even know when someone's mistreating my granddaughter? If it weren't for the fact that I don't have much time left and he's the only junior I can entrust the wolf race to, I would've tortured him to death long ago!" Patriarch Ao Xiao harrumphed coldly.
Silvermoon's face paled even further upon hearing this, and a wry smile appeared on her face as she said, "The blame can't be entirely pinned on him. Technically, I'm his main concubine, and his cultivation base hadn't progressed in many years. He knew that my Origin Yin Physique could help him break through his bottleneck, so it's inevitable that he would try something."
"You're still speaking out for his sake? Before you married him, you were already the holy maiden of our Silvermoon Race. Prior to attaining full mastery of that Silvermoon Cultivation Art, your lifespan would be significantly cut short if you were to lose your virginity; there's no way that he wouldn't have been aware of this. On top of that, after he married you, he took on many more concubines and never considered your feelings. It seems that ever since he became a demon monarch, he's forgotten that our Silvermoon Race is the premier branch of the wolf race. If it weren't for the fact that all of my juniors possess lackluster cultivation aptitude and none of them have reached the Body Integration Stage, there's no way I would've resorted to assisting an outsider like him to become the wolf monarch." A cold look appeared in Patriarch Ao Xiao's eyes as he spoke.
Silvermoon bit down on her lower lip, but heaved a faint sigh and remained silent in the end.
"However, following the ordeal that you suffered in that lower realm, you awakened your Seven Star Moon Physique, so that's an unexpected silver lining on the situation. With your past cultivation aptitude, the Spatial Tempering Stage would've been your limit, but with this Seven Star Moon Physique, it's not impossible for you to reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. I didn't possess exceptional cultivation aptitude in my youth, either; only after awakening the same physique was I able to reach my current cultivation base." Patriarch Ao Xiao's eyes gradually began to light up as he spoke.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1140