Chapter 544: Xiao Xuan

Xiao Ming approached the ancient tomb and bowed respectfully.

"This descendant Xiao Ming greets the Ancestor."

"Don't bother with the formalities..."

A faint laugh echoed around him. Lifting his head, Xiao Ming saw a figure dressed in green. He was leaning leisurely against the tomb. The man's disheveled black hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his carefree demeanor was accentuated by a gentle, welcoming smile. The gentle smile on his face gave one the feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

Under the gaze of the man in green, the blood in Xiao Ming's veins seemed to flow faster. It was a familiar feeling of blood bonding. He also lifted his head and the two pairs of pitch-black eyes met...

The gaze lingered for a moment. Then a smile appeared on the face of the man in green. It wasn't a deep smile, but it gave Xiao Ming a sense of familiarity.

"Someone from the Xiao Clan has finally come. My years of waiting have not been in vain. Besides..." Xiao Xuan paused, his gaze as deep and vast as the night sky, sweeping over Xiao Ming. Then he nodded slightly, "You are outstanding beyond my expectations..."

If Xiao Chen were here, he would have greatly agreed with Xiao Xuan's comment. Never before in the history of the Xiao Clan had anyone received such praise from Xiao Xuan. Xiao Ming had clearly surpassed those predecessors.

"Ancestor flatters me."

Xiao Ming replied modestly, gazing at Xiao Xuan. Although Xiao Xuan's figure wasn't physically imposing, his presence felt like it could defy the world. Yet, Xiao Ming knew that he was only seeing a projection.

"Let's go into the tomb first. Due to the influence of the Heavenly Tomb, I cannot leave the tomb. I believe you've noticed that what you see now is just a projection of me..."

Xiao Xuan slowly walked towards the stone tablet with his hands behind his back. When he touched it, his figure faded and disappeared.

Xiao Ming followed suit, quickly disappearing from this vast world.

...

The bright light that filled his vision slowly faded. Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes only to find himself in front of an ancient hall.

In the center of the hall ahead, Xiao Xuan stood with his hands behind his back. In front of him was a clear pool of water with lotus blossoms floating on the surface, giving off a faint scent.

"Can you tell me the current situation of the Xiao Clan?" Xiao Xuan sighed lightly upon hearing the faint footsteps behind him.

"The Xiao Clan no longer exists. What remains is a declining Xiao family. Although there has been some improvement in recent years..."

As Xiao Ming spoke, he organized his thoughts and detailed the situation of the Xiao family over the years.

At the end of his account, Xiao Xuan nodded slowly. There was not much emotion on his face.

"It was within my expectations that the Xiao Clan would decline. I also bear a great responsibility for it. When the Xiao Clan still existed, I sensed that the Dou God Bloodline of our clan was about to wither. You should understand that if the bloodline strength had dried up at that time, the Xiao Clan would have been immediately destroyed by some covetous enemies..."

Xiao Xuan raised his head, his eyes filled with reminiscence. "To replenish the Dou God Bloodline, the only way was for another Dou God to appear. But that was too difficult. At that time, I was arrogant and did not believe that I would be hindered on my path to becoming a Dou God. So, after discussing it with many elders in the clan, we decided to go all out."

"We used a secret technique to transfer most of the bloodline strength of the entire clan into my body. I knew... that was the last hope of all the clan members."

Xiao Xuan took a deep breath and a trace of pain finally appeared on his face. He had failed all the members of the Xiao Clan.

"In the end... I still failed. After the failed attempt to break through to the Dou God realm, I was attacked by the Hun Clan and suffered severe injuries that led to my demise..."

"But I didn't expect the Xiao Clan to rise again in your hands. Moreover, Xiao Chen is still alive. Restoring the Xiao Clan to former glory seems to be within reach..."

Xiao Xuan felt relieved as he continued to speak. In his opinion, Xiao Ming was an even greater genius than he was. Although he couldn't clearly see Xiao Ming's strength, he was definitely not weaker than a nine-star Dou Saint. Add to that the Emperor Realm soul and the rich Xiao Clan Bloodline that came from an unknown place, and the hope of breaking through to the Dou God realm was greater than he himself had ever had.

The sudden appearance of such an outstanding descendant made him feel somewhat surreal. However, the rich bloodline strength emanating from Xiao Ming proved that he was indeed a descendant of the Xiao Clan.

Of course, even if Xiao Ming was exceptional, reaching the Dou God realm required a prerequisite. Xiao Ming needed to have the missing Origin Qi.

Thinking about this, he immediately informed Xiao Ming about the need for Origin Qi to break through. He wanted to prevent Xiao Ming from repeating his mistakes. However, he was astounded to find that Xiao Ming was not surprised at all.

"I have known about this matter for a long time, and I already have the Origin Qi."

This was the first time Xiao Ming mentioned this matter.

"What!"

This time, Xiao Xuan was truly shocked. He had traveled through most of the regions of the Dou Qi Continent, but he still hadn't sensed the existence of this Origin Qi. Now, Xiao Ming was actually telling him that he had it?

Xiao Ming didn't say much. He directly took out the Origin Qi he had obtained earlier.

Inside the transparent jade bottle, a colored thread emitted strange fluctuations.

"This is indeed Origin Qi! It seems that what I failed to accomplish back then will be completed in your hands. The Xiao Clan will truly return to its peak. Haha!"

Xiao Xuan stared at the energy thread in a daze, then suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. Although he had never seen Origin Qi, based on his perception and previous attempts to break through to the Dou God realm, he could confidently say that this was the Origin Qi he required at that time.

After Xiao Ming had put the Origin Qi away, Xiao Xuan finally regained his composure. He smiled and said to the former.

"You didn't come today just to tell me this good news, did you?"

Xiao Ming nodded slightly, organized his words, and began to calmly explain the current situation of the alliance between the Heavenly Court, the Gu Clan, the Lei Clan, and the Yan Clan, including the imminent attack on the Gu Clan and his plans.

The situation of the Xiao Clan had only been briefly mentioned by Xiao Ming earlier. Now, the vast amount of information he revealed caused Xiao Xuan to frown.

"I knew that the Hun Clan secretly coveted the pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. But I didn't expect them to have such a scheme. Of the Eight Ancient Clans, including our Xiao Clan, four clans have fallen at their hands."

"Besides, for Hun Tiandi to have reached this point, he is not easy to deal with. Old fellow Gu Yuan is just as formidable. Even if you've broken through to the nine-star Dou Saint now, it won't be as easy as you think to sit back and reap the benefits. This plan is too risky."