Upon hearing that Zhuge Qing had arrived with his party, the Great Elder led his subordinates to welcome them. The Fourth Elder watched his back, a smile emerging at the corner of his mouth, and then quickly followed out.
The group arrived at the main gate, setting up a welcoming posture. Zhuge Qing and Ye Fanâs group also reached there, and upon seeing Xue Wu with them, the Great Elderâs eyes narrowed, his belief in the Fourth Elderâs words strengthened.
"Haha... Great Elder, itâs been a long time, how have you been?"
The Second Elder greeted the Great Elder from a distance. As fellow members of the Four Great Elders, they were quite familiar with each other.
"Iâm alright, I can hold on for a few more years, though not as energetic as you, little brother!" the Great Elder responded to the Second Elder.
The Third Elder also paid his respects to the Great Elder and said, "Greetings, Great Elder!"
"Ah! The third one is here too, just in time, the fourth one is also with me. Itâs been a long time since the four of us elder brothers have gathered. Letâs have a good drink later."
"Of course, weâve been busy with our own things over the years, so itâs rare for us to get together. We definitely should have a drink," said the Second Elder with a smile.
"Zhuge Qing, Xue Wu greet the Great Elder!" Zhuge Qing and Xue Wu also stepped forward to pay their respects, but the Skeleton Sect disciples behind them did not move, just watching the others.
Seeing this, Ye Fan immediately took the lead to salute the Great Elder, "Skeleton Sect disciples greet the Great Elder!"
"Greetings, Great Elder!"
Nearly a hundred people shouted towards the Great Elder, creating quite an imposing atmosphere.
"Good! Good! Everyone is well. Forgive my poor eyesight, but who is this young brother?"
The Great Elder praised them but suddenly directed his question towards Ye Fan.
"Uh, I am Ye Fan, paying respects to the Great Elder."
Ye Fan did not expect the Great Elder to approach him so directly and bowed with cupped hands in salute.
"Oh, I havenât been back to the Sect for many days, and we have new young talents. But I am not aware, what position does young Brother Ye hold in the Sect?"
The Great Elder smiled and asked Ye Fan, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, waiting for Ye Fanâs answer.
"Elder brother, this is not the way to treat guests. Weâve come to see you, and youâre letting us stand here and talk?"
The Second Elder spoke to the Great Elder, trying to change the topic and get into the castle to continue the conversation.
"Second brother, you are mistaken. These days are stormy, and the Sect is on high alert. There are suspicious individuals within the Sect, and it is better to clarify. If those with malicious intentions infiltrate, it would be troublesome."
The Fourth Elder stepped forward, a smile on his face, but unwilling to let everyone enter the castle.
For a moment, the several people beside Ye Fan all looked at him. Things were not going as predicted, and they didnât know what to do.
"Haha, I am following the deceased Former Gang Leaderâs order. Thanks to the Deputy Gang Leader, Captain Xue, and the two eldersâ favor, I am now the Skeleton Sect Master!"
Ye Fan saw that the Great Elder and his group were prepared, so he didnât beat around the bush and directly revealed his identity.
"What? The Former Gang Leaderâs last order, has the Gang Leader passed away? What exactly happened? And where did you, boy, come from?"
The Fourth Elder appeared very shocked, but his eyes betrayed him. He clearly already knew, and Ye Fan sighed inwardly, realizing that hiding the Skeleton Sect Masterâs death was no longer possible. If this news didnât spread, it would remain an effective hidden asset, but it no longer had that utility now.
"Who are you? How dare you impersonate the Sect Master! Youâve got some nerve!"
One of the Great Elderâs subordinates immediately jumped out and shouted at Ye Fan.
"How dare you speak to the Sect Master like that? Are you tired of living?"
Zhuge Qing shouted at the man. As the Deputy Sect Master, many recognized him.
The man wanted to continue shouting, but the Great Elder waved him down, and said to the Second Elder, "Second brother, what exactly happened? Did the Sect Master really pass away?"
He deliberately didnât address Zhuge Qing, clearly indicating his disbelief in Zhuge Qing.
"Elder brother, itâs a long story. Letâs enter the castle before discussing this."
The Second Elder said to the Great Elder, once again attempting to enter the castle.
"Sigh, second brother, if things arenât explained clearly, how can I let you in? Now there are strong enemies surrounding the castle, how could I let those whose backgrounds are unclear in? Only after clarifying can we enter, itâs not too late."
The Great Elder refused, speaking directly to the Second Elder.
"Sigh, alright, Zhuge Qing knows this the best. Let him explain it to you."
The Second Elder had no choice but to pass the responsibility to Zhuge Qing.
Zhuge Qing stepped forward without hesitation, first bowing to the Great Elder, then said, "Great Elder, the situation is as follows: days ago, our Sect Master learned the exact location of the Sirius Ancient Tomb, and thus took me, Xue Wu, and the guards to the tomb in search of the Sirius inheritance. Upon arriving at the tomb, we encountered Brother Ye Fan!"
After a pause, Zhuge Qing continued, "As it turns out, Brother Ye Fan is the sworn brother of our Sect Master!"
The news stirred an uproar among those on the mountain, all turning to look at Ye Fan. How could someone so young be the sworn brother of the Skeleton Sect Master? Ye Fan, however, remained silent, nodding slightly to greet everyone.
"Everyone, our Sect Master and Brother Ye, alongside us, braved a life-threatening journey. We finally reached the coffin of Elder Sirius. Just as we were about to receive Elder Siriusâ inheritance, the mechanisms left by Elder Sirius were triggered. We couldnât provide assistance in time, and our Sect Master was heavily injured, passing the position to Brother Ye before his death. Later, Sect Master Ye received the Sirius inheritance and brought us back to the sect. This is what transpired!"
After Zhuge Qing finished speaking, everyone remained silent for a while, merely looking at one another without reaction.
"Zhuge Qing, you speak nonsense. Do your mere words suffice? Who knows if you conspired to concoct a lie to deceive the Great Elder?"
One of the Great Elderâs attendants retorted to Zhuge Qing, causing a commotion.
"Oh, in that case, how can I convince you?"
Ye Fan stepped out timely, addressing the query.
"Thatâs simple. Firstly, you ought to have the Sect Masterâs Token!"
As soon as the person finished speaking, Ye Fan flipped his hand, sending an object towards the Great Elder, exclaiming loudly, "Hereâs the Sect Masterâs Token. Please verify its authenticity, Great Elder!"
In front of so many people, Ye Fan wasnât afraid of the Great Elder seizing the token, being merely an inanimate object with little significance. Zhuge Qing had retrieved this token and kept it for this moment.
"Indeed, this is a genuine Sect Masterâs Token."
The Great Elder examined it carefully and said to everyone, then tossed the token back to Ye Fan.
"That still doesnât suffice; you should demonstrate your skills for everyone to witness your abilities. How could someone so young assume the role of Sect Master?"
The man continued, his name being Zhou Junjie, the strongest under the Great Elder, quick-witted and trusted by the Great Elder, often discerning the Great Elderâs intentions, his argument sounded plausible.
"Great Elder, since this is the case, how about I learn a couple of moves from this brother?"
Ye Fan addressed the Great Elder, appearing ready to heed his arrangement.
"Alright, Zhou Junjie, go ahead and spar with this brother." The Great Elder instructed Zhou Junjie.
"Alright, kid, letâs see how skilled you are!" Zhou Junjie promptly sprang forward, addressing Ye Fan.
"Very well, be cautious, Iâm about to strike."
Ye Fan did not hold back against such small fry, with a wave of his hand, a flame soared forth. Zhou Junjie attempted to dodge but found himself unable to move, burned by the flame.
He could only shriek in place, completely immobilized, a method once used by the previous Skeleton Sect Master to intimidate, able to incinerate people into skeletons alive, a fearsome cultivation technique only mastered by successive Sect Masters, no one else could grasp its essence.
Seeing the person nearly burnt to death, Ye Fan waved his hand, and the skeleton flame disappeared suddenly, sparing Zhou Junjieâs life, though heavily injured, he was terrified and fell prostrate, silent. Ye Fan flicked his hand, tossing him a Medicine Pill for healing, silencing all doubts in the crowd.
"Great Elder, can we proceed into the fortress now?" Ye Fan asked the Great Elder.
"Alas, Sect Master, follow me." The Great Elder sighed deeply, leading everyone into the fortress.
"Elder Brother Ye! Does this mean youâve been acknowledged?" Zhuge Qing exclaimed with delight to Ye Fan.
Ye Fan waved his hand, saying, "Itâs not that simple, letâs proceed inside first."
Ye Fan headed, following the Great Elder into the fortress, the elders, Zhuge Qing, Xue Wu, and others took seats respectively. The Great Elder then addressed Ye Fan, "Sect Master, though I recognize you as Sect Master, we face impending disaster, and I cannot continue to aid the Skeleton Sect."
This statement shocked everyone, casting surprised looks toward the Great Elder, even the Fourth Elder was baffled as to what had occurred, why the Great Elder said such.
"Sect Master, you arenât aware, listen to me. I have a daughter, eighteen years old this year. She recently went out to play and somehow offended the Liew Family. The Liew Family is a Fifth Grade clan in the Barbarian Lands like us, potentially not a threatâuntil one of their ladies became a concubine to a Fourth Grade Zhong Family, leading the Zhong Family to destroy my clan. Initially, I sought the former Sect Masterâs help, unaware he had already died, leaving us without recourse."
The high-ranking members of the Skeleton Sect present were alarmed upon hearing this news, even the Fourth Elder had not realized things had become so dire. Seeking assistance while the Great Elder remained indecisive was understandable.
"Sect Master, do not fret over my clan. You can leave freely; I only have one daughter and will never bow to the Liew and Zhong families. This matter stemmed from me; we shall bear the burden alone."
The Great Elder addressed Ye Fan, then remained silent, merely observing him.
Ye Fan understood, should he decide to abandon them, he may never garner respect as the new Sect Master among the Skeleton Sect. He promptly addressed the Great Elder, "Great Elder, youâve erred. You are the Great Elder of the Skeleton Sect; I cannot simply abandon you. Donât worry, we shall face this issue together."
Zhuge Qing heard Ye Fanâs intent to support the Great Elder, and grew anxious; the Skeleton Sect merely ranks as a Fifth Grade sect in the Barbarian Lands, while the Zhong Family is a Fourth Grade clan, not considering its backing, confronting the Zhong Family alone would be formidable.
He intended to advise Ye Fan, but seeing Ye Fan shake his head, refrained from speaking further.
The Great Elder was thrilled upon hearing Ye Fanâs words. He was well aware the Skeleton Sect was no match for the Zhong Family. Understanding the former Skeleton Sect Master, he would likely have surrendered his family, hence hadnât sought aid from him. Unexpectedly, Ye Fan arrived, relieving the imminent crisis.
The remaining three elders had no wish to oppose the Great Elder; they had long been friends with the Great Elder, upon hearing his predicament, naturally wishing to assist.