NOVEL NEXT Chapter 424: Events from Thousands of Years Ago
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A person clad in a black robe, with a wide hood almost entirely concealing his face, walked in.
Xiao Zhan sat in a chair, with a small table to his left and an empty chair on the other side of the table.
His expression was calm as he extended a hand towards the black-robed figure who entered, gesturing for him to sit.
The black-robed person walked to the empty chair and sat down naturally. He let out a cackle:
"As expected of the Xiao Clan Head, this composure doesn't disgrace the position."
Xiao Zhan picked up the teapot from the small table, poured two cups of tea, and gently pushed one towards the mysterious black-robed person.
A slight tremor in his hand revealed that his inner turmoil was not as calm as he appeared.
"Who are you, or rather, who are you all? Why did you attack my Xiao Family? What have you done to my clansmen?" Xiao Zhan asked in a low voice.
"No need to rush that. Come, let me tell you a story, about the Central Continent, and about some ancient powers," the black-robed person said in a slightly aged voice.
"When a person breaks through to Dou Emperor, their bloodline will undergo some changes under the rules of heaven and earth. It becomes different from ordinary people, more special and divine.
"About a thousand years ago, there were eight such families with Dou Emperor bloodlines, standing tall on the Central Continent. Their clans were filled with experts, and the number of Dou Saint exceeded ten."
Xiao Zhan was stunned, both by the terrifying power of such forces and by how distant and unreal it felt.
The time was over a thousand years ago, the location was the Central Continent, and they were forces that dominated the peak of the entire Dou Qi Continent… To Xiao Zhan, it truly was just a story.
The black-robed person didn't care about Xiao Zhan's thoughts and continued telling his story.
"These eight clans, passed down from ancient times to today, are called the Ancient Eight Clans. They are the Soul Clan, the Gu Clan, the Yan Clan, the Lei Clan, the Medicine Clan, the Ling Clan, the Shi Clan… and the Xiao Clan."
When he heard 'Xiao Clan' at the end, Xiao Zhan's heart suddenly skipped a beat… Xiao Clan?
Wait, when he first came in, he seemed to call me the Xiao Clan Head, not the Xiao Family Head!
"Over a thousand years ago, the Xiao Clan and the Soul Clan were the strongest among these Ancient Eight Clans. The relationship between the two clans was also very poor, with long-standing grievances, often leading to wars.
"At that time, there were five supreme experts below Dou Emperor, Nine-Star Dou Saint peak existences who commanded the world.
"They were Xiao Xuan of the Xiao Clan, Soul Emperor of the Soul Clan, Gu Yuan of the Gu Clan, the Dan Tower Old Ancestor, and the Burning Flame Old Ancestor."
Xiao Zhan had initially just listened to it as a story, but at this moment, his brows twitched, and he suddenly remembered something.
Gu Yuan!
He had heard that name!
Wasn't that girl Xun Er's father named Gu Yuan?
He still remembered the scene when that middle-aged man, holding a young Xun Er, came to their family and told him that he wanted to entrust Xun Er to the Xiao Family, so she could spend an undisturbed childhood there.
This Gu Yuan, couldn't possibly be that Gu Yuan, could he?
According to this mysterious person, Gu Yuan was a figure from over a thousand years ago, how could he be…
Although Xiao Zhan knew that as cultivation increased, one's lifespan would gradually increase, a thousand years… that was too long, wasn't it?
That middle-aged man whose smile made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze, was actually an Old freak who had lived for over a thousand years?
I even called him brother back then!
Xiao Zhan took a sip of tea, trying to suppress the shock in his heart, but ended up choking and coughing for a long time.
"At that time, while the Xiao Clan was flourishing, it harbored a hidden crisis.
"The power of Dou Emperor bloodline would gradually deplete with the passage of time, with each generation being weaker than the last. Although there were ways to delay it, it could not be stopped.
"Xiao Xuan, the Head of the Xiao Clan, detected this crisis but had no solution.
"He was worried about this; if things continued, the Xiao Clan's strength would gradually decline, unable to contend with the Soul Clan, a formidable enemy that was eyeing them covetously.
"Under such a predicament, the Clan Head decided to take a gamble and attempt to gather the bloodline power of the entire clan to break through to that legendary realm!"
At this point, the black-robed person's tone became somewhat excited, even fanatical.
Xiao Zhan noticed the black-robed person's choice of words… Clan Head… This black-robed person referred to Xiao Xuan from over a thousand years ago as Clan Head.
Could it be that he is also a member of the Xiao Clan, and from Xiao Xuan's era over a thousand years ago?
Xiao Zhan looked at the black-robed person, with a hint of horror in his eyes.
If this person truly lived from that era until now, what would his cultivation be?
…Dou Venerate, or Dou Saint?
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan also had a faint guess; as a Clan Head, he was certainly not a fool. His worry for his clansmen lessened somewhat, but he was not completely relaxed.
"Xiao Xuan, through a secret technique, gathered the remaining origin qi in the Tian Tomb, stepping halfway into that realm, almost succeeding.
"Unfortunately, at that very moment, the Soul Clan attacked, causing him to ultimately fail, and most of the Xiao Clan's forces, including the Clan Head, perished in that battle.
"Gu Yuan, the Gu Clan Head, was Xiao Xuan's closest friend. Before Xiao Xuan attempted to break through to Dou Emperor, he had anticipated this possibility, and thus entrusted Gu Yuan with the care of the surviving Xiao Clan members.
"After that battle, the Soul Clan was also severely weakened and retreated to the Soul Realm to silently lick their wounds, not daring to make any major moves, to prevent other clans from taking advantage of their weakness.
"Taking advantage of the Soul Clan's weakness, when they were too preoccupied to care about anything else, the surviving Xiao Clan members, under the cover of the Gu Clan, left the Central Continent and arrived in the Northwest of the continent.
"Over a thousand years, due to the depletion of their bloodline, and also due to the incompetence and lack of ambition of their descendants, the Xiao Clan grew weaker with each generation, eventually evolving into what is now…"
The black-robed person raised his head, revealing his aged face beneath the hood, but his eyes were not cloudy; they were bright and piercing. He stared at Xiao Zhan and slowly uttered two words:
"Xiao Family."
Although Xiao Zhan had a premonition while the black-robed person was speaking, when it was confirmed, he still felt incredibly unbelievable.
Shock, bewilderment, and a faint sense of dread and guilt.
If this were true, then his humble Dou Grandmaster self was also one of the unfilial descendants who had brought shame upon his ancestors.
After a long while, Xiao Zhan recovered from his extreme shock. He took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in his heart, and said with a slight tremor in his voice:
"This Xiao Family… is it the Xiao Family of Wu Tan City?"
"Yes, the Xiao Family of Wu Tan City." The black-robed person slowly nodded.
Xiao Zhan let out a long breath, shaking his head with a bitter smile. He never imagined that the Xiao Family once had such a glorious past, that it was one of the Dou Emperor families that had been passed down from ancient times until now!
He looked at this mysterious black-robed person, who seemed to bear little ill will towards him or the Xiao Family, and asked with a hint of respect:
"May I ask senior's name? And what is your relationship with my Xiao Family?"
The black-robed person glanced at him and said indifferently: "You should refer to yourself as being of the Xiao Clan…
"As for this Old freak's name… Xiao Clan, Xiao Yuanshan!"
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