At that moment, Soul Heavenly Emperor showed no sign of madness. Not even a trace of frustration crossed his face. He was calm as still water.
"They came prepared. Pursuing them would be dangerous. Let them go!"
Hun Tu heard the order and nodded his obedience, though inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Soul Heavenly Emperor's heart was bleeding too. But with Gu Yuan unwilling to join the fight, they could not truly keep the people of Origin Return Manor here, even with the Dou Di Progenitor on their side. With Gu Yuan, they could only have fought them to a standstill. Without him, their strength was diminished, for the Dou Di Progenitor could not truly equal a Nine-Star Dou Saint Peak combatant.
And if they kept fighting, casualties would soar. Soul Heavenly Emperor did not value his clansmen's lives as highly as Gu Yuan valued his. Yet he was the leader of the Soul Clan, and even its ordinary members were part of his strength. He could spend their lives, but not waste them for nothing—least of all while Gu Yuan watched the fire from across the river.
So he forced his emotions down. Dwelling on what he had gained or lost here would lead nowhere. Instead, he made himself think about how to make up for this loss.
But Xiao Yan's outrageous behavior was not quite over.
Little Scale, the Nihility Devouring Flame, appeared. His perception of every flame was uncannily sharp, and he sensed the Nihility Devouring Flame's Sub-Flames that Soul Heavenly Emperor had sealed away.
With the Nihility Devouring Flame himself here, so close to his Sub-Flames, he would never leave them in the Soul Clan's hands.
Once Xiao Yan gave his consent, Little Scale reclaimed the several Sub-Flames he had split from himself with