Having learned that
Years upon years of cultivation had granted him tremendous patience. Waiting a mere few days was nothing — even a few years wouldn't bother him.
No one bothered him either. He simply sat cross-legged and cultivated in peace, his surroundings utterly tranquil.
Ten-odd days passed in the blink of an eye. Fang Tianchi, deep in meditation, suddenly heard a clamor erupting all around him.
"The Ten Directions Limitless Squad is back! They pulled off a big one this time — wiped out a thirty-thousand-strong
"Really?"
"You bet. I heard they killed seven or eight Domain Lords this time alone."
"Tsk tsk. Like father, like son."
"That's not so impressive. If our squad had that kind of lineup, we could probably do the same."
"Dream on. An Ink Clan army of thirty thousand isn't easy to take down. Without real skill, who'd dare provoke one? Normally, you'd need over a dozen squads working together and more than ten Seventh-Order masters just to stand a chance. The Ten Directions Limitless Squad didn't rely on any outside help this time. What's most remarkable is that they apparently came back without a single casualty."
The noise around him swelled and receded. Fang Tianchi's heart stirred, and he opened his eyes to see warriors all around him gazing toward the Purification Formation with looks of reverence, as though awaiting a victorious general returning from war.
A flash of light erupted from the Purification Formation, and a figure stepped out first.
It was a young man dressed entirely in white — even his hair was snow-pure. He was strikingly handsome, with a bearing that radiated quiet self-assurance.
The moment he appeared, enthusiastic greetings erupted from every direction. It was clear this white-clad youth enjoyed enormous popularity at this base.
The men looked at him mostly with admiration, while many of the women gazed at him with burning eyes, as if they longed to melt the young man right where he stood.
Calls of "Brother Yang Xiao" and "Lord Yang Xiao" rang out one after another.
This was the man the Grand Steward had sent him to find?
Fang Tianchi focused his gaze and studied the young man carefully. He was indeed extraordinary. After stepping out of the formation, he smiled and greeted those around him — neither unduly self-important nor excessively eager.
However, what struck Fang Tianchi as strange was that a massive old turtle — as large as a washbasin — sat perched on top of the young man's head. At first glance, it looked almost like a hat.
As if sensing his gaze, the old turtle actually craned its neck and glanced in his direction.
Fang Tianchi was instantly startled. That old turtle… was unmistakably a powerhouse. The aura it had released in that brief instant was in no way inferior to a Seventh-Order Open Heaven master.
Following closely behind Yang Xiao was a woman also dressed in white. Fang Tianchi couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but he felt she bore a certain resemblance to the Dao Master in her features.
More figures emerged one after another. Trailing behind Yang Xiao and the white-clad woman were two men and one woman.
One of the men had an honest, broad face and seemed somewhat distressed, shaking his head ceaselessly.
The woman walked shoulder to shoulder with him, speaking in low tones. Her beauty was exquisite, almost unearthly, but her expression was frigid — like an unsheathed blade. Fang Tianchi merely glanced at her a moment longer and felt as though his very soul had been pierced.
The last was a flat-haired young man who, like the leader Yang Xiao, wore a constant smile as he greeted the surrounding warriors, clearly relishing the attention.
Behind all of them lumbered an ancient beast of legend. Perched on its head, a diminutive stone figure sat cross-arms, looking thoroughly self-important.
On the beast's back rode a young boy and a young girl.
The boy was quite pleasant-looking at first glance, but when he smiled, his mouth split open into a hideous maw that stretched wide to both sides.
The girl, by contrast, was perfectly normal — plump-cheeked and porcelain-faired, utterly adorable.
The composition of the Ten Directions Limitless Squad… was genuinely bizarre.
Yet compared to the oddness of this lineup, what struck Fang Tianchi far more was their power.
Not a single weakling among them. Seventh-Order masters were everywhere, and even the rest operated at the Sixth-Order level.
No wonder they had been able to devour a thirty-thousand-strong Ink Clan army all on their own. A squad like this would give any Ink Clan force a terrible headache.
But the fact that they had emerged completely unscathed only proved just how formidable they truly were.
The Grand Steward had indeed found him a fine place to go. If he could join a squad like this, the days ahead were unlikely to be dull.
With that thought, Fang Tianchi rose to his feet and flashed over to Yang Xiao, cupping his fists in salute. "Fang Tianchi of Lingxiao Palace greets Senior Brother Yang."
Only then did a belated suspicion cross his mind. The Dao Master's surname was Yang, and this senior brother's surname was also Yang — could there be some connection between them?
But their features didn't particularly resemble each other. The white-clad woman, on the other hand, bore a passing resemblance to the Dao Master.
"Oh?" Yang Xiao regarded Fang Tianchi with a hint of surprise. "You're from Lingxiao Palace?"
The face was completely unfamiliar. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven — presumably freshly promoted, or else he wouldn't have failed to recognize him.