The Ancient Clan Only Sent You a Dou Emperor? A Deal with Gu Yuan!

Boom!

That single sentence was like a thunderclap from the heavens, striking fiercely at the girl's heart!

Her tranquil smile instantly froze on her face! Her autumn-water eyes abruptly contracted into dangerously sharp pinpoints! An icy, noble, and faintly murderous aura erupted uncontrollably from her petite body!

Golden flames flashed through the depths of her eyes!

"Brother Xiao Yao... what... are you talking about? Xun'er doesn't understand."

Though a tempestuous wave had already risen in her heart, she forcibly maintained her composure. Only her voice carried an undisguisable trace of coldness and distance.

Xiao Yao looked at her expression and smiled lightly, his smile mysterious and full of the certainty that everything was under his control.

That shocked expression is truly delightful. So this is what it feels like to pull the strings from behind the scenes!

"Don't understand? That's fine. I think... the guard behind you should understand."

The instant Xiao Yao's words fell!

A ghostly figure, black as ink, burst out from the shadows behind Xun'er without warning!

There was no sound, no energy fluctuation, not even the slightest rush of wind!

As though it had completely merged with the darkness, the black figure wielded an equally black dagger, drawing a tricky and bizarre arc as it silently stabbed toward Xiao Yao's throat with the aura of death!

Earth-tier Dou Technique: Instant Hell Shadow Kill Array!

The one who attacked was Ling Ying, the Dou Emperor expert who had secretly protected Xun'er for years!

His strike was meant to kill! He was confident that even a Dou Emperor of the same rank would have no chance of survival when faced with this long-prepared, thunderous assassination at such close range!

Yet Xiao Yao's expression did not change in the slightest before this fatal sneak attack.

He did not even turn his head!

Only when the dagger was about to touch his skin did he casually wave a hand backward, as though slightly annoyed.

As if he were swatting away an irritating fly.

"Quiet."

The two words drifted out lightly, like lovers whispering to one another, yet they carried an absolute will that could not be defied.

As Xiao Yao casually waved his hand back, the space throughout the courtyard seemed to freeze for an instant!

Ling Ying's pupils shrank to their limit!

He watched helplessly as that slender, fair palm moved at a seemingly slow yet impossibly fast speed, piercing through the speed and movement technique he was so proud of and ignoring the black dagger coated in deadly poison, a weapon capable of effortlessly tearing through a Dou Emperor's protective Dou Qi.

It struck his face squarely.

Bang—!!!

An incomparably muffled boom exploded through the silent courtyard!

Ling Ying, who had seemed like a menacing Grim Reaper just a moment ago, was now sent flying in utter misery as though he had been struck head-on by a charging magical beast mount, hurtling backward several times faster than he had arrived!

Rumble!

His body smashed through several layers of Dou Qi barriers Xiao Yao had casually set up before finally stopping; otherwise, he might have blasted straight through the entire Xiao Family estate.

The composure on Xun'er's flawless face finally broke apart, replaced by blazing golden flames and overwhelming disbelief!

Ling Ying! He was a genuine Eight-Star Dou Emperor!

And yet Xiao Yao had... slapped him flying with one hand?!

Who exactly was he?! Just what terrifying realm had his strength reached?!

"Miss, run!"

Suppressing the agony in his body and the shock to his soul, Ling Ying let out a hoarse roar. His figure flickered as he prepared to rush toward Xun'er again, ready to risk his life to escort her away. In his eyes, the strength Xiao Yao had revealed meant he was absolutely no ordinary Xiao Family descendant. He was very likely a terrifying assassin sent by the Soul Clan specifically to target the young miss!

"Elder Ling, stop!"

At that moment, Xun'er's cool voice, carrying a faint tremor, rang out in time and stopped Ling Ying.

Her bright eyes remained locked onto Xiao Yao, her delicate body slightly tense. Her left hand had already quietly grasped an ancient jade token emitting faint spatial fluctuations.

It was a Protective Jade Token personally refined by an Ancient Clan expert. It could withstand a full-force strike from a Dou Venerable Peak expert, and the instant it was crushed, it could transmit a message to nearby high-ranking guardians!

"Brother Xiao Yao, you... who exactly are you?" Xun'er forced herself to calm down and asked coldly.

Xiao Yao looked at her guarded appearance and helplessly spread his hands. A gentle smile appeared on his face, as though the person who had just slapped a Dou Emperor flying was not him at all.

"Clan Sister Xun'er, don't be so nervous. If I truly wished to harm you, do you think... a mere Eight-Star Dou Emperor could protect you?" He glanced around and clicked his tongue in wonder. "Honestly, I'm rather curious. The Ancient Clan really has a big heart. For the direct young miss with a Divine Bloodline, they actually sent only a Dou Emperor to guard her. Aren't they afraid something might happen?"

These words made Xun'er and Ling Ying, who had just stabilized himself, both sink inwardly.

Not only did the other party know her identity, he even seemed to know something about the Ancient Clan's internal affairs!

Xun'er hesitated no longer and secretly activated the jade token. An invisible ripple instantly spread outward. At the same time, a faint golden barrier enveloped her body.

Only after doing all this did she feel a trace of confidence. She asked coldly again, "You still haven't answered my question! Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?"

"Me?" Xiao Yao smiled faintly, his smile carrying a trace of reminiscence, pride, and indescribable weariness.

"I, Xiao Yao, am the... inheritor of the Ancient Xiao Family!"

Boom!

The four words "Ancient Xiao Family" struck Xun'er and Ling Ying's hearts like a ten-thousand-pound hammer!

There was still a Xiao Family with an ancient inheritance?!

He came from the true imperial clan that had once ranked among the strongest of the Eight Ancient Clans, yet had mysteriously declined a thousand years ago?!

"Impossible!" Xun'er cried out. "The Xiao Clan bloodline has long since dried up. How could there still be a true inheritor?!"

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you." Xiao Yao shrugged, his expression calm. "I did not come today to argue about this. I only came to make a deal, a deal that would bring enormous benefits to you, to me, and even to your entire Ancient Clan."

He paused, and his gaze deepened. "But this deal carries too much weight. You cannot make the decision. Wait for someone... with greater authority in the Ancient Clan to arrive."

Hearing this, Xun'er became even more suspicious, though she also secretly relaxed. Since he was willing to wait, it meant he had no malicious intent for now.

However, before she could expect it, she had only just crushed the jade token when a gentle yet supremely dignified laugh rang directly through the courtyard without warning.

"Hehe, I never expected that in this tiny Wutan City, I would see the bearing of the Xiao Clan Prodigy from back then. This old man has truly had his eyes opened."

Before the voice faded, the space above the courtyard rippled like water.

Two figures slowly walked out from the barriers Xiao Yao had set up, as though they had been standing there all along.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in simple hemp clothing. His features were ordinary, and his aura restrained. Yet the instant he appeared, the entire world seemed to revolve around him, while the energy between heaven and earth cheered joyfully for his presence!

He was none other than Gu Yuan, the Ancient Clan Chief and a Dou Saint Peak expert!

Beside him stood an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, bearing the air of an immortal. His aura was equally unfathomable.

"F-Father?!"

The instant Xun'er clearly saw the arrivals, the calm facade on her pretty face completely collapsed. She cried out in mixed surprise and joy, her eyes instantly reddening.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yao was completely stunned.

He stared dumbfoundedly at the kind-looking middle-aged man, while ten thousand grass-mud horses stampeded through his mind.

Damn it! Old man, you're actually serious?!

The dignified Ancient Clan Chief, a supreme Dou Saint Peak expert, really came personally to act as his daughter's bodyguard?!

You're way too obsessed with your daughter!

Gu Yuan first smiled affectionately and patted Xun'er, signaling for her to rest easy. Only then did he turn those eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through eternity, upon Xiao Yao.

"Hehe, little friend, are you the inheritor of the Ancient Xiao Clan?" Gu Yuan's voice was exceedingly gentle, making others feel as though they were bathed in spring wind. "You truly are an outstanding talent, bearing yourself with extraordinary grace. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that in this generation, the Xiao Clan had hidden such a true Qilin Child?"

He looked Xiao Yao up and down, his eyes filled with praise and a trace of reminiscence.

"Speaking of which, this old man and your Xiao Family ancestor, Xiao Xuan, once fought side by side and drank together as good brothers. Seeing the descendant of an old friend today brings great comfort to my heart."

Upon hearing those shameless words, the flames of complaint in Xiao Yao's heart were instantly ignited.

A mocking half-smile appeared on his face as he said without the slightest courtesy, "Oh? Ancient Clan Chief Gu Yuan still remembers his friendship with my ancestor?"

"I heard that when my Xiao Family suffered a great calamity, my ancestor Xiao Xuan once entrusted you... to look after the descendants of my Xiao Family."

Xiao Yao's gaze slowly swept across the dilapidated Xiao Family estate before returning to Gu Yuan's kindly face. The sarcasm in his tone was entirely undisguised.

"Your 'care,' truly was... exceptionally well done!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere turned several degrees colder.

Gu Yuan's gentle smile froze directly on his face. Even with the thick skin and composure he had cultivated over a thousand years, he felt a burning wave of embarrassment at that moment.