232: Chapter 232 I will obey your orders, senior!

Chapter 232: At Your Command, Senior! The Black-Robed Elder gasped.

His previous attack had seemed casual, but in reality, he had secretly poured seventy percent of his strength into it, yet this hunched old man had swatted it away with a single, light-hearted palm strike.

His back was already soaked with cold sweat, chilling his very spine.

What kind of background did these three people have?

For a moment, he actually didn't know whether he should advance or retreat.

Just at this moment—

"My Disciple has offended you, and I hope Your Excellency will forgive him."

An aged voice came from the depths of the dense forest; it was not loud, yet it resonated against everyone's eardrums like a heavy bell.

Upon hearing that voice, the Black-Robed Elder was stunned at first, then a look of joy appeared on his face. He jerked his head up, looking toward the source of the sound, and saw that above the gray, hazy sky of the Secret Realm, a speck of dark golden light was rapidly expanding.

The light transformed into a phantom of a gray wolf, a full ten zhang in size, formed entirely from spiritual power. Its fur was distinct down to the last strand, and a pair of ghostly green vertical pupils looked down at the battlefield below from a high vantage point.

When the gray wolf phantom landed, it didn't stir up any dust. Its four paws seemed to step on an invisible sheet of ice, and with a light tread, it transformed into an old human figure glowing with a ghostly light.

It was a gaunt, gray-robed old man with a refined face, deep-set eye sockets, and high cheekbones; the entire person looked like a piece of wind-dried dead wood.

However, his eyes were shockingly bright, like two candle flames burning in the wind and snow, revealing a deep, bottomless sharpness.

Saint Realm.

Xu Jianan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

He recognized him; this was the Saint from Sky Wolf Valley.

Although it was only an Incarnation formed of spiritual power, the pressure belonging to a Saint still made one's heart tremble.

Previously, he had been so frightened by this old man's aura that he could only flee for his life. Now, although the Young Master had arrived, the other party was, after all, a Saint—

The moment the Black-Robed Elder saw him, his entire body seemed to have its bones removed, and he knelt down with a thud.

"Grand Elder!"

The other six Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators also hurriedly knelt in a row, their foreheads touching the ground, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The gray-robed old man, however, didn't even look at them, but stood there with his hands hanging down, his squinted eyes fixed firmly on Shen Qingyuan.

The gray-robed old man watched for a long time.

It was so long that the knees of the Black-Robed Elder kneeling on the ground were almost frozen stiff, and so long that the six Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators' breathing became cautious.

Then, the gray-robed old man moved.

He took a step forward.

The Black-Robed Elder, crawling on the ground, glimpsed that step, and his heart tightened violently. He thought the Grand Elder was going to attack, after all, this young man had just injured their Sky Wolf Valley people and was so arrogant.

But the next moment, the gray-robed old man bowed slightly, cupping his hands, his voice raspy but with a hint of deliberate gentleness: "I did not know Senior had arrived in the Northern Plains. Sky Wolf Valley failed to welcome you from afar, and I hope Senior will forgive us."

The entire scene was deathly silent.

The Black-Robed Elder lay prostrate on the ground, his body stiff, his mind blank, and his ears buzzing.

The Grand Elder, a Saint Realm Old Ancestor, an existence whose word was law in Sky Wolf Valley, was actually bowing and saluting to that young man at this moment? And even calling him "Senior"?

Xu Jianan was also stunned; he couldn't even bother with the numbness and itching of his healing wounds, staring wide-eyed at this scene.

He had been by the Young Master's side for so many years and knew the Young Master was not simple, but seeing a Saint Incarnation be so polite to the Young Master still left him somewhat dazed.

Old Turtle and Luo Qingyue, on the other hand, looked as usual; Luo Qingyue was still in her white clothes, and not even her eyelashes trembled.

Shen Qingyuan, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looked at the gray-robed old man bowing before him, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "You recognize me?"

The gray-robed old man straightened up, a complex look appearing on his gaunt face.

He lowered his eyelids, his voice deepening slightly: "This Junior has never had any interaction with Senior; I only once passed through the Eastern Wasteland and saw Senior from afar."

Shen Qingyuan understood; it must have been that time at the Tianque Holy Land.

He tilted his head to look at Xu Jianan, then looked at the Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators kneeling on the ground: "This person is from my Shen Family. You chased him for three days and three nights and injured him like this. How do you plan to settle this?"

The gray-robed old man looked respectful and replied: "At your command, Senior!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators kneeling on the ground were all somewhat astonished.

The Black-Robed Elder lay on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold soil, his mind buzzing as if someone had hit him with a hammer, his vision filled with golden stars.

The Grand Elder being so respectful to that young man was enough to make his spine chill, not to mention that the Grand Elder had taken the initiative to offer "At your command, Senior."

These six words carried enough weight to crush the spines of all the Sky Wolf Valley Disciples present.

Xu Jianan lay on the ground, the wound on his shoulder still healing, the burning pain drilling into his heart in waves, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

He had been hunted by this pack of mad dogs from Sky Wolf Valley for three days and three nights; there wasn't a single piece of good flesh on his body, and even his bones were exposed.

He thought he was really going to die in this godforsaken place, but he didn't expect the Young Master to come.

Not only did he come, but he also made a Saint bow his head.

That feeling was even more satisfying than drinking three big jars of Drunken Immortal Brew.

Shen Qingyuan didn't speak immediately, but just looked down at Xu Jianan lying on the ground, then looked at the few Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators kneeling in the snow, as if weighing something.

A moment later, he raised his eyelids, his tone neither salty nor bland: "Twenty Spirit Beast cubs, not one less."

The wrinkles on the gray-robed old man's face moved slightly.

Twenty Spirit Beast cubs were nothing to ordinary forces, but for Sky Wolf Valley, it was truly cutting flesh.

Sky Wolf Valley had a Legacy of ten thousand years and was founded on the art of beast taming. From the moment Disciples stepped onto the path of cultivation, they had to form contracts with Spirit Beasts, using beasts as companions and weapons.

Every Spirit Beast cub was carefully selected from thousands of Yao Beast eggs, then fed with Spirit Medicine and refined with secret methods for their intelligence; the effort expended was immeasurable.

Cultivating a Spirit Beast cub with good Aptitude required at least decades of effort.

Since this Senior had spoken, it was naturally impossible for him to want ordinary Spirit Beast cubs.

He also didn't dare to use ordinary goods to fool him.

The Black-Robed Elder, kneeling on the ground, felt his heart twitch violently upon hearing this, and almost couldn't resist looking up.

But in the end, he still suppressed that urge, his forehead still pressed tightly against the ground, not daring to move a single bit.

He understood in his heart that whoever could ask for things in front of the Grand Elder was definitely not someone an Asking Dao Realm Cultivator like him could comment on.

The gray-robed old man was silent for two breaths, "As you command, Senior. This Junior will immediately send a message back to Sky Wolf Valley and have the Disciples deliver them."