The moment Xiang Shaoyun heard that this was about his father, he grew agitated as he asked, "Third uncle, do you have any news about my father?"

His father was the most important person in his life, the person who had pampered him during his childhood and the person who had satisfied all his wishes even when he was asking for the moon in the sky.

He had never been willing to accept the fact that his father might be dead after the disappearance. He had asked Old Yao about his father before, but Old Yao knew nothing. He had not imagined that his third uncle actually had information about his father, and Xiang Shaoyun hoped he could hear some good news.

Pang Tongyuan went straight to the point and said, "Your father is not dead."

Xiang Shaoyun jumped in excitement. That was excellent news.

"Third uncle, why are you so sure? Are you trying to comfort me?" asked Xiang Shaoyun as he suppressed his excitement.

Pang Tongyuan took out a jade tube and said, "Your father gave me this before his departure. Inside is his blood essence. If he is dead, the blood essence would be dim and colorless, and the tube would break apart. But it is still undamaged, so this is proof enough that your father is still alive. But I don't know why he hasn't returned."

His words calmed Xiang Shaoyun significantly. He asked, "Third uncle, why didn't you crush the tube during Di Batian's rebellion to try to call Father back?"

This tube was similar to the one Scarlet Flame Monarch gave him, so it probably had the summoning ability as well.

"Back then, I never imagined that I would need to use this tube, so I hid it somewhere. During Di Batian's rebellion, I didn't get the chance to reach the tube. Fortunately, I hid it well enough, and Di Batian wasn't able to find it," said Pang Tongyuan with a sigh.

He then handed the tube to Xiang Shaoyun as it was no longer useful for him. He would let Xiang Shaoyun decide if he wanted to crush the tube. Xiang Shaoyun had complicated emotions as he held the tube in hand, hesitating whether he should crush it.

His father would immediately sense it the moment he crushed the tube. Perhaps his father would rush back. Then again, there was a different possibility. His father might be busy with something and wouldn't be able to return.

Pang Tongyuan said, "Since the sect master has not returned even after so many years, he has probably encountered something or found a way to break through. You should know that someone at his level will probably need decades in seclusion once a chance to break through comes. Or maybe he was delayed by something else. So long as he's alive, he will return eventually."

"You're right, third uncle. Since Father is fine, let's not disturb him. Perhaps he will safely return soon after he handles his matters," said Xiang Shaoyun as he kept the tube away.

He felt much calmer knowing that his father was still alive. He decided to just keep waiting. He was afraid that his father wouldn't return even after he crushed the tube. That way, he would lose the only clue he had about his father.

"Um. You can make your own decision. Since I have already told you everything, I won't be of any help to you anymore," said Pang Tongyuan bleakly.

"Third uncle, thank you very much," said Xiang Shaoyun gratefully. "Third uncle, I hope you can remain as the Ziling Sect's advisor. Are you willing to come out of retirement and lend your nephew a hand?"

Pang Tongyuan blanked out slightly before smiling bitterly. "What can a cripple like me do? Young master, you can stop comforting me. My heart is not that weak."

"Third uncle, I wasn't making the offer out of pity. You were my father's right hand in the past. Although you have lost your cultivation, I believe that your wisdom is still far above others. In any case, I have a bad reputation from my past. The Sorting General Assembly is approaching, and I need a lot of help. Therefore, I truly wish for you to lend me a helping hand," said Xiang Shaoyun earnestly.

Pang Tongyuan was definitely moved by the offer. He was already a cripple, and he felt a sense of inferiority. Since a chance had arrived for him to prove that he was still useful, he naturally didn't want to let go of it.

Xiang Shaoyun could see that Pang Tongyuan was interested in the offer. He kept pushing, "Third uncle, even your loss of cultivation is only temporary. We will definitely find you a method to reform your stars. Take this time to nurse your body back to health while helping me with the sect's general affairs. You know that I still need to focus on my cultivation. Di Batian might come back at any moment. I need to be prepared."

Pang Tongyuan sank into a short silence before saying, "Fine. Since you still look highly on your third uncle's abilities, I will use my crippled body to do more things for the sect."

Xiang Shaoyun said, "Don't even worry about it. How about we start talking about the Sorting General Assembly?"

"Sure, let's start," said Pang Tongyuan with his chin raised.

The two proceeded to talk about the Sorting General Assembly and only stopped when Pang Tongyuan started to feel tired. In the talk, Xiang Shaoyun could clearly see why Pang Tongyuan was his father's right hand man. He was extremely well-versed in administration, and each point he brought up was mentioned in great detail. Xiang Shaoyun only needed to do as told, and the entire sect would be running in an orderly manner.

After thinking about it for a bit, he sent someone to attend to Pang Tongyuan at all times. This would last until Pang Tongyuan regained his cultivation. However, he would have to pick this person carefully.

He also needed to take care of the other loyalists who had been similarly crippled. As he was currently lacking in manpower, he also had to accelerate the recruitment of sect members. But he could only do that after the Sorting General Assembly.

He returned to the rear court. There, he saw Ye Chaomu and Tuoba Wan'er. He asked, "What plans do you have after the Sorting General Assembly?"

The two women had their own Heaven Battling Realm guards, and they both had a place to return to. He wanted to know their future plans.

"Stay behind," the two answered unhesitatingly.

Xiang Shaoyun turned solemn. "I'm serious. Little Mu, Lord Wu Xie definitely won't let you stay here for an extended period of time. Wan'er can probably stay, but you need to let the first elder know, or he will start to worry."

"Sure. I must stay. We are husband and wife," said Tuoba Wan'er cheerily.

"I want to stay as well. Big brother, you can't abandon me. This is not only your home but also mine," said Ye Chaomu resentfully, her hands resting on her waist.

"It's not that I don't want you here, but you need to convince Lord Wu Xie. It would be even better if you can get him to stay here," said Xiang Shaoyun.