"Gasp—"
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"Xiao Yan's methods... truly are no ordinary matter!"
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Ling Ying took a deep breath, forcing down his shock.
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He stared fixedly toward Xiao Yan's room, his gaze shifting uneasily.
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"Is there some expert secretly helping him..."
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"Or does the thing the clan head asked the young miss to find truly possess such astonishing power?"
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He recalled the task Gu Yuan had entrusted to him.
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Although he didn't know exactly what they were looking for, he had some idea that it was an extraordinarily important treasure.
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If that treasure really had such miraculous abilities...
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Then everything made sense.
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Ling Ying's thoughts churned.
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No wonder a dignified Ancient Emperor Clan had gone to such lengths to send Miss Xun'er to lie low in the Xiao Family from childhood.
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That thing was surely no ordinary treasure!
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"Only..."
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Ling Ying suddenly frowned again, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.
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"The Xiao Family's foundations are so weak. Why didn't the clan head simply wipe them out and seize that thing?"
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He couldn't understand it.
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With the Ancient Clan's strength, destroying a mere Xiao Family would be as easy as blowing away dust.
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Why make the young miss lie low there from childhood and wait all these years?
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"Forget it, forget it."
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Ling Ying shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.
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Though he had served the young miss for many years, his standing in the Ancient Clan was low. He was merely a minor bodyguard.
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The secret of the Tou She Ancient God Jade was beyond someone of his station.
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As for the Xiao Family's past ties to the Ancient Clan, there was no way he could know about those.
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"I only need to follow Miss Xun'er's instructions. There's no need for me to worry about anything else."
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Ling Ying sighed softly.
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Over the years, he had watched the young miss grow up in the Xiao Family, and watched her grow ever closer to that boy, Xiao Yan.
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Though she had never said it outright, how could he fail to see it—
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His young miss had clearly fallen for Xiao Yan!
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"Unless the young miss gives the order, I won't lay a hand on the Xiao Family."
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Ling Ying's gaze flickered.
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Besides, the Xiao Family had treated Xiao Xun'er very well all these years, accepting her completely as one of their own.
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Xiao Zhan treated her like his own daughter, while Xiao Yan had always looked after her with the utmost care.
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He had seen that affection with his own eyes.
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"That's for the best..."
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Ling Ying looked toward Xiao Yan's room, a complicated hope flickering in his eyes.
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"I only hope you can improve quickly, Xiao Yan, with the help of that opportunity!"
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"Otherwise—"
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He paused and sighed inwardly.
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"You'll have a hard time getting past the Ancient Clan!"
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As one of the Eight Ancient Clans, the Ancient Clan had always placed great importance on bloodlines and pedigree.
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Though Xiao Yan's talent was monstrous, without sufficient strength and a distinguished background, winning the Ancient Clan's approval would be...
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Difficult!
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The cultivation of a mere Dou Wang was nowhere near enough!
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Ling Ying shook his head, then glanced once more at Xiao Zhan's retreating figure in the distance, humming a little tune. In a flash, he vanished into the night.
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Inside the room.
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On the bed.
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Xiao Yan quietly opened his eyes, the faintest smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
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"So he's Elder Ling?"
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He murmured to himself.
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Though the probing soul force had been devoured instantly by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, he had still sensed it clearly.
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A soul fluctuation at the Dou Emperor level.
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Hidden in the shadows of the Xiao Family.
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Utterly loyal to Xiao Xun'er.
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Who else could it be but Ling Ying?
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"The Ten Thousand Soul Banner really is a fine treasure."
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Xiao Yan glanced down at the Black Banner floating beside him, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
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Under the Ten Thousand Soul Banner's power, even a Dou Emperor expert like Elder Ling couldn't glimpse a thing.
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"I just wonder—"
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Xiao Yan's eyes flickered.
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"Will Elder Ling report this to Gu Yuan?"
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He remembered that in the original story, Ling Ying had been utterly loyal to Xiao Xun'er and would even defy the Ancient Clan's orders for her sake.
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But now that Xiao Yan had suddenly displayed such absurd talent, would Ling Ying report it?
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Xiao Yan wasn't sure.
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"Forget it. No point thinking about this."
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Xiao Yan shook his head and closed his eyes again.
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"First, I'll consolidate my cultivation and gather my strength."
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"Tomorrow—"
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"There's another good show to put on."
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And yet—
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Perhaps because Elder Ling's visit had brought the Ancient Clan's hidden threat to mind, Xiao Yan couldn't settle down to cultivate.
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"No."
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"I need to find a way to raise my strength as soon as possible, or get my hands on a few trump cards!"
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The Ancient Clan's foundations were terrifying!
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Even as a three-star Dou Emperor, with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and Red Lotus Karma Fire in hand, and Medicine Elder assisting him as the old master in his ring, he was still no match for the Ancient Clan at the height of its power.
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And as for gambling on Gu Yuan's promise to Xiao Xuan that he wouldn't harm the Xiao Family?
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Xiao Yan didn't dare.
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The Xiao Family had once been a genuine Ancient Emperor Clan!
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Even after Xiao Xuan failed in his attempt to reach the Dou Emperor realm, the family shouldn't have fallen so low that it couldn't even be considered third-rate... with a mere Da Dou Shi as its strongest member and only Profound-tier techniques and cultivation methods in its possession.
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Besides, Xiao Xuan had asked Gu Yuan to look after the Xiao Family. With an Emperor Clan like the Ancient Clan protecting them, who would dare target the Xiao Family?
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Even if the Hun Clan had been relentlessly hunting the Xiao Family, Gu Yuan had been at the peak of his power back then, while Hun Tiandi had suffered grievous injuries... With the Ancient Clan's experts backing him, if the Ancient Clan had truly stepped in as it had "promised" Xiao Xuan, what courage could the Hun Clan or any other faction possibly have had to attack the Xiao Family?
###
So there was only one unimaginably cruel truth—
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The Ancient Clan had secretly used some despicable method to strip the Xiao Family of everything!
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"If they hadn't been unable to find the Tou She Ancient God Jade in the Xiao Family, the Xiao Family branch in Wutan City would probably have ceased to exist long ago, wouldn't it?"
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Xiao Yan mused to himself.
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The night deepened.
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In the room, crimson flames flickered softly, illuminating the boy's handsome face.
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The Ten Thousand Soul Banner floated silently, wreathed in black mist that sealed off every trace of his presence.
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"No!"
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"Until I have enough strength to stand against the Ancient Clan, I can't let my guard down for even a moment!"
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Xiao Yan knew full well that if the Ancient Clan learned of his situation, they would most likely assume he had obtained Tou She Ancient God's "inheritance" from the Tou She Ancient God Jade. They would definitely "invite" him to the Ancient Realm for tea.
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"Elder Ling might deliberately help conceal it for Xiao Xun'er's sake."
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"But—"
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"Who can guarantee that Ling Ying is the Ancient Clan's only spy?"
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In that instant, countless thoughts crossed Xiao Yan's mind.
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"So..."
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"System, I want to draw!"
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At this point, his only option was to use the system's points for a draw and see if he could get his hands on more "good stuff" to add to his arsenal.
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[Ding—]
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[Detected, Host: you have one free Supreme Tier draw available. Would you like to begin the draw now?]
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A Supreme Tier draw had a 99% chance of winning a prize, with an extremely high chance of receiving a valuable reward!
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Looking at the multicolored divine-light prizes scrolling past the Supreme Tier draw—things like the "Heaven Opening Axe," "Immortal Execution Sword Map," "Cangyuan Map," and "Ancestral Witch Essence Blood"...
###
Xiao Yan couldn't help swallowing, a look of anticipation flashing across his eyes.
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No wonder it was a Supreme Tier draw worth a million points. These were all good things!
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