Old Man Qing looked at Liu Zixuan with his eyes filled with a chill and shook his head, saying, "We shouldn’t call them the Four Great Clans and Eight Great Powers anymore!"

"What should they be called then?" Sword Venerable Ling Xiao asked, puzzled.

"It should be a name similar to the Martial Realm Alliance."

Liu Zixuan chuckled awkwardly, "Before the martial arts tournament, there was talk of unifying the Martial Realm, but thanks to those scattered martial artists and my intervention, it didn’t succeed. After the tournament, my brothers and I entered various hidden sects. Probably no one could stop them anymore. So much time has passed, and they likely have already unified!"

Old Man Qing nodded, "That’s right. When I went down the mountain to look for herbs, I heard some news."

"Currently, the Star Sea Martial Realm has almost completed the unification, with only a few scattered sects still resisting. However, like ants shaking a tree, they have likely been absorbed by now. The Four Great Clans and Eight Great Powers are now collectively known as the Celestial Dao Alliance!"

"Unifying the Martial Realm under the guise of acting on behalf of the heavens?" Liu Zixuan sneered, "These guys really think of themselves as saviors?"

"Saviors, my ass! They’re just giving themselves a fancy title!"

Old Man Qing cursed with a laugh and continued, "The position of Grand Alliance Leader in the Celestial Dao Alliance has not been established yet, and it’s currently under the control of the ancestor of the Willow Association. The other families’ ancestors hold the positions of elders. The once-famous patriarchs or sect leaders have now become subordinate officials."

"That does fit their style," Liu Zixuan murmured.

"Zixuan, that’s some of the news I’ve gathered after going out a few days ago. You’ll need to investigate further once you go down the mountain," Old Man Qing said.

Liu Zixuan nodded, "The situation outside has changed drastically, so if I want to deal with them, I must prepare accordingly. I have plans in mind."

"When do you plan to descend the mountain?" the Great Elder asked suddenly.

"Tomorrow!" Liu Zixuan took a deep breath and said with a determined gaze, "Once I leave the mountain, the good days for the Celestial Dao Alliance will be over!"

"I’m not trying to rain on your parade. Even though you are already at the First Heaven of the Emperor Realm, be careful when opposing the Celestial Dao Alliance. Those old guys have lived for nearly a hundred years, and their powers are unfathomable. Some might be a match for me," Old Man Qing frowned and said.

"Thank you for the warning, Old Man Qing. But some things are born to be done; I can’t back down just because they are strong!" Liu Zixuan clenched his fists and raised his head, and the aura of the First Heaven in the Emperor Realm suddenly surged.

"Zixuan, I... I..." Upon seeing him like this, the Great Elder suddenly hesitated to speak.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Liu Zixuan smiled.

"Rou’Er wants to talk about Xiaoxiao’s matter."

Sword Venerable Ling Xiao sighed, "Our hidden sect’s strength is somewhat superior to any power in the Martial Realm, but the rules of the various hidden sects dictate that we cannot interfere in Martial Realm matters. This is to maintain balance and prevent chaos that could give foreign Martial Realm powers an opportunity."

"Therefore, regarding Xiaoxiao’s situation, we might not be able to participate directly, so we can only ask you to help rescue Xiaoxiao."

Liu Zixuan smiled, "No need to ask. After all, Gu Huaqiu captured Xiaoxiao because of me, so rescuing her is something I must do. Rest assured, as long as I am alive, I will surely return a complete Xiaoxiao to you!"

"We naturally believe in your words!" The Great Elder murmured with reddened eyes, "We only have this one girl, and because of her unique constitution, we’ve doted on her since she was a child. Now that she’s suddenly been taken, our hearts are..."

"Alright, women always end up crying!" Although Sword Venerable Ling Xiao scolded, his eyes were also full of concern.

Though they are both highly respected, being Sect Leader and Great Elder, they are as ordinary as any parents to Xiaoxiao!

Now that their daughter has been taken, any parents in the world would find it hard to let go!

"It’s getting late. Let Zixuan rest early. Tomorrow, let Elder Yangming escort him out of the mountain," Old Man Qing said, standing up.

Sword Venerable Ling Xiao and the Great Elder nodded repeatedly, gave some more advice to Liu Zixuan, and left together.

Looking at Old Man Qing, who hadn’t entered the house yet, Liu Zixuan smiled, "Would you mind having another cup of Peach Blossom Brew with me?"

"You say that, yet I’m not a stingy person!" Old Man Qing cursed good-naturedly, then took out a whole jar of Peach Blossom Brew from the side, and brought out two plates of side dishes from the kitchen, sitting with Liu Zixuan in the pavilion.

That night, the two drank heartily.

He was not the previous Sect Leader of the Profound Sword Sect.

Nor was he Liu Zixuan, the legendary hero of the Celestial Capital!

But just two friends, chatting and drinking, sharing a rare moment of ease.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Liu Zixuan groggily opened his eyes, watching the rising sun, stood up, and stretched, "Time to go!"

"I’ve already said what needed to be said yesterday, so I won’t repeat myself." With that, Old Man Qing handed a wine gourd to Liu Zixuan, "This holds two jars’ worth of Peach Blossom Brew. More would be hard to carry, so just enjoy this."

"Old Man Qing, you sure do understand me!" Liu Zixuan laughed and tied the wine gourd to his waist.

When they reached Profound Mountain, Sword Venerable Ling Xiao, the Great Elder, and the two Elders of Yangming were already there.

"During my time at the Profound Sword Sect, I thank everyone for the care. There are matters I must attend to in the Martial Realm, but I’ll return to the sect when I have the chance, and we’ll drink together for three days!"

Liu Zixuan cupped his fist and smiled.

"Take care with everything!" Sword Venerable Ling Xiao said solemnly.

Liu Zixuan nodded, then walked with the two Elders of Yangming towards the sect’s exit.

"To have a friend like Zixuan in this life is truly fortunate!"

Old Man Qing smiled wistfully, then turned to Sword Venerable Ling Xiao, "Ling Xiao, prepare some gifts and visit the other hidden sects!"

"Old Man Qing, do you mean..."

"Though hidden sects claim not to interfere in Martial Realm affairs, given that the Gu family took our Profound Sword Sect’s Princess, we cannot let this go. We should unite with other hidden sects. If the time is right, we can lend Zixuan a hand in secret, as a gesture of returning the favor!" Old Man Qing said, and then slowly walked towards the Peach Blossom House.

...

Outside the sect.

Liu Zixuan stopped in his tracks, turned around, and smiled, "This is far enough, Elders."

"The Martial Realm is full of hidden currents, be cautious!" The two Elders of Yangming clasped their hands.

"Understood." Liu Zixuan nodded, took out an elixir from his pocket, and handed it to the Elders of Yangming, "Find an appropriate time to give this elixir to the Second Elder and tell him that after consuming it, he’ll be fine!"

Leaving this poignant message, Liu Zixuan got into a prepared car and drove off towards the city...