But when he thought of how he had not only exposed his greatest trump card and would be hunted by countless people in the future, but had also lost two supreme treasures, Xuan Aotian furiously pounded the ground like a madman and roared.
"Damn it... damn it!!"
That voice from the Black Ancient Scripture sounded once more.
"You should just stay here and recover obediently. Once the Crimson Meteor Burial Ground opens and you obtain that thing, leave this Dao Domain and find some deserted place to cultivate."
"Rest assured. With my help, you will become a Great Emperor within a hundred years!"
"Heh heh heh..."
The Crimson Meteor Burial Ground...
But he did not have a Qualification Token to enter at all!
Suddenly, as though he had thought of something, a trace of icy killing intent flashed through Xuan Aotian's eyes. He said coldly,
"Since things have come to this, what does it matter if I shoulder one more sin?"
One day later.
Outside the main hall of the Hidden Ancient Clan Xuan Family.
The Xuan Family elders all looked ashen-faced. They knelt outside the hall with their heads lowered, trembling, not daring to utter a single word.
The entire Xuan Family was shrouded in an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
Bang! Only the sounds of roaring and porcelain shattering continued to come from within the hall!
"That beast has truly gone mad!"
"He even dared to keep something from the Dark Era on him!"
"Is he trying to drag our Ancient Clan Xuan Family to its doom?!"
Within the dark, oppressive main hall.
Xuan You was beside himself with rage. Even with outsiders present, his face was nearly twisted as he smashed things in frenzy.
It had been several hundred years since he had lost his composure like this.
Su Chenxiao quietly watched the scene, leisurely sipping tea at the side.
The charge of colluding with the strange beings of the Dark Era...
Other than the various Imperial Clans that had once led the myriad heavens out of darkness and could explain themselves clear of suspicion...
Let alone a mere Xuan Family, even those supreme Dao lineages with Great Emperors, the Eternal Saint Clans, likely could not bear such a charge.
No wonder Xuan You, as the head of a clan, had lost control so completely.
After an unknown amount of time, Xuan You finally slumped into the patriarch's seat as though all strength had drained from him. His eyes were vacant as he laughed and cried.
"Hahaha! I, Xuan You, have been wise and capable for a thousand years, yet I never expected to sire such a rebellious son!"
"Brother turning against brother, carrying an ancient scripture of the Dark Era that everyone has the right to execute him over... Are all these the retribution for me, Xuan You, killing my elder brother and slaughtering my kin?!"
"Is it all retribution?!!!"
At that moment, Xuan Ning, who had been kneeling outside the hall, could no longer hold himself back after hearing his father's roar and rushed inside.
"Father!"
But the moment he entered, he froze.
The surroundings were a complete mess. Xuan Ning had never seen his father so despondent and defeated.
At this moment, Xuan You, the patriarch of the Hidden Ancient Clan, had lost all his spirit. All that remained was profound guilt and regret.
Xuan Ning could not help but feel his nose sting. He stepped forward and said,
"Father!"
Xuan You glanced at him and spoke weakly.
"It's Ning'er..."
"Ning'er... your father has failed the ancestors and failed your mother's final wishes..."
"The Xuan Family is finished..."
"It will be destroyed by my, Xuan You's, own hands..."
Xuan Ning's entire body shook.
For a moment, he felt as though the sky had collapsed.
He could not imagine that his father, who had always been wise, towering, and incomparably dignified, would speak such despairing words.
With a thud, Xuan Ning dropped to his knees. He crawled forward step by step, seized his father's hands, and cried out,
"Father! Please, don't say such things anymore!"
"Our Xuan Family is a Hidden Ancient Clan that has stood among the myriad heavens for ten thousand years. We will not be finished!"
Xuan You tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Reclining in the patriarch's seat, he seemed to have aged several hundred years as he spoke faintly.
"An ancient clan? But our Xuan Family cannot bear the charge of attempting to restart the Dark Era."
"Last night, news came from the Ancient Clan Qi Family. Your elder brother, Xuan Aotian, launched a nighttime attack on several ancient clan prodigies. He killed Qi Ao and six other members of the ancient clans, then took the Qualification Tokens on them..."
"Before long, the Qi Family will lead a group of people, together with people from the other ancient clan Dao lineages, here to demand an explanation..."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ning's breathing caught. He nearly ground his teeth apart as he growled,
"Xuan Aotian! Him again! Him again!"
"Father, he is going to destroy our Xuan Family!!"
Xuan You slowly opened his eyes. His expression was haggard as he stared intently at Xuan Ning before him. He reached out, placed a large hand against his cheek, and said with utmost gentleness,
"Ning'er, your father has always wronged you."
"After your mother passed away, and after I succeeded to the position of patriarch, I neglected to give you both the care you deserved..."
"All this time, you have blamed your father for favoring your elder brother Aotian too much."
"But the reason I indulged your elder brother Aotian so greatly was because, after your mother left, her final request to me was that I take good care of Tian'er..."
"You were a hostage for three years, but when you were young, your mother and I gave you all our love without reservation."
"But Tian'er... at that time, he was still suffering in another Dao Domain..."
Tears streamed down Xuan Ning's face as he choked out loudly,
"Father! Please stop talking about him!"
Xuan You smiled and shook his head. He had never shown such a loving, gentle side before.
"Ning'er, both your temperament and appearance resemble your mother, while Tian'er takes after me..."
"I know that in your hearts, I have always been a bad father. But what I want to tell you today, Ning'er, is that in your father's heart, you have always been the most obedient and sensible child, and also your father's pride!"
It was as though he were giving his final instructions. Xuan You spoke a great deal in one breath.
Xuan Ning trembled from head to toe. Not a day had passed when he had not wished to gain his father's acknowledgment.
But absolutely not now.
Just then, the voice of the Xuan Family's Great Elder came from outside the hall.
"Patriarch! Patriarch!"
"The Hidden Ancient Clan Qi Family, the Zhao Family, the Ming Family, and several other Dao lineage factions... they have all come!!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan You nodded. His eyes flickered, and no one knew what he was thinking.
He gently caressed Xuan Ning's cheek, lovingly wiping away the tears at the corner of his eyes. Then he said softly,
"Ning'er, you have grown up."
"After I am gone, if they are willing to spare our Xuan Family a thread of life and our Xuan Family still survives, then from now on, you will be the patriarch of the Xuan Family..."
Xuan Ning tightly hugged his father's arm. Kneeling on the ground with his head lowered, he pleaded bitterly,
"Father, please, please stop saying that..."
"You will be fine..."
Seeing his son like this, even Xuan You, whose heart was strong, could not suppress the glimmer of tears that surfaced in his deep eyes.
Only now did he realize how deeply he had neglected his younger son ever since Tian'er returned.
But why had he realized it so late?
Xuan You smiled and shook his head. At last, he affectionately rubbed Xuan Ning's hair, then rose and looked toward Su Chenxiao, who sat quietly at the side. He walked over.
"Young Master Su, inside this are all my, Xuan You's, possessions, as well as half the resources accumulated by the Ancient Clan Xuan Family throughout the generations."
Su Chenxiao looked up at Xuan You before him and said,
"Patriarch Xuan, what do you mean by this?"
Before you continue