Following these souls and personally watching them enter their mothers' wombs, he finally returned to the Xiao Clan.
At this time, Xiao Gong, Xiao Chen, Xiao Kong, Xiao Jing, and Xiao Yu, whom he had awakened from their long self-imposed seclusion, had also arrived.
These five were currently the oldest surviving members of the Xiao Clan, both in age and seniority.
Beyond them were those of his father's generation.
However, his father's generation was still in the prime of life and had no need for reincarnation.
Moreover, only a few of his father's generation remained.
The bloodline had withered away, yet in his generation, an anomaly like him had appeared.
In his father's generation, only his father possessed the sole Ninth-Grade Bloodline.
Over the long years, the others had either died young or perished in conflict.
Soon after, Xiao Feng, Xiao Chen, and the others arrived as well.
"Patriarch, is the time ripe?"
Xiao Xuan nodded solemnly. "It is. Elders, make your preparations. Extracting your souls will be unbearably painful. It would be best to prepare yourselves mentally."
"Rest assured, Patriarch. No matter how painful it may be, for the sake of beginning a new life, old fellows like us will endure it."
Xiao Feng asked, "Xuan'er, are you certain?"
Xiao Xuan replied firmly, "Unless their luck is truly dreadful and they die in the womb, there will be no problem. Those in the Heavenly Tomb have already gone to reincarnate."
"Good, good!"
"Let us go and take a look together!"
More than a dozen Dou Saints, the true core upper echelon of the Xiao Clan, followed behind him.
After several spatial shifts, they arrived above a city called Wutan City in the barren Northwestern Region.
Xiao Lan asked, "Brother Xuan, is the Xiao Clan below also one of the Xiao Clan's descendant branches?"
Xiao Wu answered, "That is correct, Aunt. These are descendants of the line propagated by my descendants long ago. I simply never expected that they had once been one of the foremost great clans in the Northwestern Region."
"Now that I see them again, the world has changed beyond recognition. The empire of old is gone, and who knows how many dynasties have risen and fallen since then."
"The strongest member of the current Xiao Clan is actually only at the Da Dou Shi realm?"
"They have even fallen so far as to dominate a third-rate little city."
"Can a clan like this truly be as Father said?"
Xiao Xuan looked within the Xiao Clan and found quite a few fathers-to-be.
However, none of their wives showed any sign of pregnancy yet, so he purchased a courtyard and settled down in Wutan City.
Time passed, until one day Xiao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the elders. "Elders, the time has come. Who will go first?"
Xiao Gong said, "This old man will go first. Xuan'er, do as you please."
He did so to dispel the last trace of apprehension buried deep within the others' hearts.
Xiao Xuan understood his granduncle's good intentions. After bowing, he said, "Granduncle, forgive my offense. I look forward to your return to the Xiao Realm."
Rising to his feet, he waved a hand and seized with both hands. Xiao Gong's face immediately twisted in agony. If not for the sake of his dignity, he looked as though he would have wailed aloud.
A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Gong's exhausted soul appeared in Xiao Xuan's hands.
"Reincarnation!"
He tossed Xiao Gong's soul toward the pregnant woman. With the secret technique's support, everyone present, all possessing considerable soul cultivation, immediately sensed a faint yet discernible aura of life.
With Xiao Gong setting the example, over the following years, Xiao Kong and the others successively embarked upon their unknown new lives.
Seeing that the great undertaking had succeeded for now, Xiao Xuan smiled mischievously.
The current Xiao Clan was truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers gathered.
Would that Flame Emperor still dominate the age alone in the future?
He only hoped the man would not be too badly shaken by the blow!
"Father, is that it?"
He rolled his eyes at his son and said irritably, "What else? From now on, it will be up to them."
Although Xiao Wu had only reached the Six-Star realm over the past few centuries—
His soul had genuinely reached Heavenly Realm Grand Perfection.
His overall combat strength had later surpassed that of his mother, grandmother, and aunts.
Even Xiao Chen and Xiao Xiong, both seven-star experts, could only fight him to a draw.
Xiao Ruoruo asked, "Wait, Brother, when the elders begin their new lives, will they retain their memories from birth? If not, won't that be too dangerous?"
"No. Their soul strength is insufficient to support it. If they possessed those long memories from birth, wouldn't the impact turn them directly into idiots?"
"They will only gradually recover their memories after reaching the Spirit Realm in soul cultivation."
"These elders all possess Ninth-Grade Bloodlines."
"Father, this is Granduncle's essence blood. Within the Xiao Clan, his bloodline was the closest to yours."
"After absorbing and refining it, reaching Nine-Star will be within sight!"
"Cousin Xiao Xiong is Elder Xiao Jing's direct descendant, while Cousin Xiao Chen is Elder Xiao Chen's direct descendant."
"Likewise, Elder Xiao Yu and Elder Xiao Kong are the direct Profound Ancestors of Cousin Xiao Li and Cousin Xiao Yang."
"You should refine their Ninth-Grade Bloodlines yourselves."
"I hope that in the future, you can use the Ninth-Grade Bloodlines to challenge Eight-Star, or even Nine-Star."
Xiao Feng coughed twice. "Ahem, wouldn't that be inappropriate? Why not keep them for them in the future?"
"Old man, if you want me to bear the name of an unfilial son, just say so. Do you have to make your desire for Nine-Star so obvious in your eyes?"
"Refine them. Since they have begun new lives, they should naturally sever ties with their past lives."
"Besides, who is to say whether they will even think highly of these Ninth-Grade Bloodlines in the future?"
"Cousin Xiao Chen, you will oversee the Mysterious Armor Army from now on and become the Third Elder."
"Leave the Medicine Refining Pavilion to Ruoruo. She will be the Fourth Elder. Cousin Xiao Xiong will guard the Scripture Depository and serve as the Second Elder."
"As for Father, I will have to trouble you with the position of First Elder, in charge of punishments and laws."
"As for Wu'er, when I am not in the Xiao Clan, help me handle clan affairs and keep the various branches living in harmony."
"Yes, Patriarch!"
"Yes, Father!"
They all understood that the position of Young Patriarch had now been decided.
Yet no one objected. First, Xiao Xuan's prestige within the clan had become overwhelming over the years.
Second, they had nothing to say regarding Xiao Wu. At least from Xiao Wu's perspective, they believed themselves far inferior to him.
Though his talent had been poor, his comprehension and perseverance were not. He had risen step by step. The ant they had once looked down upon could now stand on equal footing with them.
In soul cultivation especially, he had left them far behind.
They had never imagined that the Xiao Wu of the past could grow to this point.
Could they perhaps broaden their minds and consider that the future Xiao Wu might reach a realm beyond even their grasp?
"Father, according to your plans, the Northwestern Region will surely become a place where wind and cloud briefly converge in the future."
"Could we let some of the younger ones come here to struggle for a chance? Perhaps it would provide a fierce trial for their growth."
"That is fine. As for those little ones under ten, do as you please."
"The Jia Nan Academy founded by Mang Tian Chi, an elder of the Thunder Clan, is quite renowned even in the Central Plains."
"The Misty Cloud Sect of the Jia Ma Empire can also serve as a temporary place for the little ones to cultivate."
"Since we are making it lively, let us make it truly lively."
"I will send a high-level Dou Zun here to protect them in secret. I would not want anything to happen to the elders."
"Hasn't the Xiao Clan produced several children? Some of them may be the new lives of powerful clan members."
"After returning, assign a Dou Emperor protector to each of them from the clan."
"Make it clear to those protectors that they are not to act unless it is a matter of Life and Death."
"Even if they do act, they should avoid exposing themselves whenever possible."
Before you continue