Battle Through the Heavens: Reborn into the Xiao Clan, Starting with Xiao Xuan's Inheritance — Part 3

He had not noticed at all that a flicker of aura had passed over the black storage ring on his hand.

By the time Xiao Yi reacted, the black storage ring was already surrounded by countless streams of red aura.

The next second, the storage ring slipped directly from Xiao Yi's finger. Yet instead of falling to the ground, it hovered in midair.

Then, waves of immensely powerful energy surged out from the storage ring.

"Little one..."

A deep, resonant voice slowly sounded amid that violently churning aura.

Hearing the suddenly appearing voice, Xiao Yi could not help but freeze slightly.

This scene felt familiar, but why did something seem off?

Xiao Yi immediately sensed that something was wrong. Could he have somehow mixed it up with Xiao Yan's storage ring?

Was the storage ring he had now the one containing the sleeping Yao Lao?

Yet before Xiao Yi could sort through his memories, the aura around the storage ring slowly gathered into a translucent figure above it.

"Little one, judging by your expression, you do not seem afraid of me?"

The transparent middle-aged man looked calmly at Xiao Yi and spoke softly.

Seeing the suddenly appearing figure, Xiao Yi became even more confused.

Because this did not look like Yao Lao at all!

In the original story, Yao Lao had been described as a genuine little old man, while the soul body before him now looked like a middle-aged man!

"I am speaking to you. Why do you not answer!"

Seeing that Xiao Yi had remained silent for so long, a trace of anger flashed across the soul body's face.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying blast of energy swept toward him, blowing Xiao Yi several steps back.

Feeling the soul body's anger, Xiao Yi finally came back to his senses.

He respectfully cupped his hands and said:

"I hope Senior will forgive me. This junior was distracted for a moment..."

Upon hearing this, the soul body nodded, and the aura around him eased considerably.

"Forget it. I perished a thousand years ago. If not for the nourishment of your Dou Qi, I likely would not have awakened..."

Xiao Yi was slightly stunned upon hearing that.

Well, damn!

Had he been handed the exact same script as Xiao Yan?

The reason his Dou Qi had disappeared was actually because a soul body inside the storage ring had been absorbing it.

But just who was this soul body before him? Xiao Yi could not help but begin guessing.

After all, according to the soul body, he had perished a thousand years ago. He definitely could not be Yao Lao, since Yao Lao had not died nearly that long ago.

A bold guess surfaced in Xiao Yi's heart. A powerful expert who had perished a thousand years ago... Skyfire Venerable??

At that thought, Xiao Yi immediately grew uneasy.

He cupped his hands again and respectfully asked:

"May I ask Senior's esteemed name?"

The soul body merely smiled faintly.

"After a thousand years, this continent may have long forgotten me..."

"Still, there is no harm in telling you..."

"My name is: Xiao Xuan!"

Upon hearing the name Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yi's body could not help but tremble slightly.

Xiao Xuan! The youngest clan leader of the Xiao Clan a thousand years ago, the number one person beneath a Dou Di, a half-step Dou Di expert—Xiao Xuan!

He had never imagined that the soul body within his storage ring would be Xiao Xuan, the ancestor of the Xiao Clan.

That was an existence countless levels above Yao Lao.

Sure enough, after transmigrating, there was no way he could simply lie flat!

"This junior is Xiao Yi!"

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

Xiao Yi reacted quickly. The instant Xiao Xuan finished speaking—

Xiao Yi, having regained his senses, immediately cupped his hands and spoke with utmost respect.

Xiao Xuan was slightly stunned upon hearing Xiao Yi's words.

"Xiao Yi?"

"You are a descendant of the Xiao Clan?"

It was not entirely Xiao Xuan's fault for failing to notice. The Xiao Clan no longer possessed the Dou Di bloodline, and the aura of Xiao Yi's first-stage Dou Qi was practically nonexistent before Xiao Xuan.

"Every word this junior has spoken is true. There is not a single lie..."

Xiao Yi replied solemnly, word by word, his sincerity evident.

Seeing Xiao Yi's sincere expression, Xiao Xuan's translucent body actually began trembling with excitement.

"Never did I imagine that a thousand years later, I would awaken because of someone from my Xiao Clan!"

"Fate! Heaven blesses my Xiao Clan!"

Xiao Xuan's deep voice trembled slightly.

It was clear that not only Xiao Yi, but Xiao Xuan as well, was overwhelmed with excitement.

"Boy, quickly tell me, how is the Xiao Clan doing now?"

Xiao Xuan's translucent body flashed, and in an instant, he appeared before Xiao Yi.

He excitedly helped Xiao Yi up and asked.

A thousand years ago, Xiao Xuan had gathered the power of his entire clan's bloodline to attempt to break through to Dou Di for the sake of the Xiao Clan, but he had ultimately failed.

As the clan leader, he naturally worried about the Xiao Clan at every moment.

Xiao Yi's expression changed slightly before he said softly:

"The Xiao Clan... is gone..."

"It should be called the Xiao family now..."

Upon hearing this, the expectation in Xiao Xuan's eyes instantly dimmed considerably.

"The Xiao family... the Xiao family..."

Xiao Xuan kept muttering under his breath. Only after a moment did he continue:

"The Xiao family is fine. At least that means the bloodline of my Xiao Clan still remains!"

"With all the high-tier cultivation methods, pill formulas, and medicinal ingredients left behind by the Xiao Clan, the Xiao family should have become quite a formidable force, no?"

"How strong is the Xiao family now?"

As Xiao Xuan spoke, light immediately reignited in his previously dimmed eyes.

In Xiao Xuan's view, his failed attempt to break through to Dou Di by gathering the bloodline power of the entire clan had completely severed the Xiao Clan's Dou Di bloodline.

That would certainly have affected the Xiao Clan, but the Xiao Clan had been one of the Ancient Eight Clans.

Its foundations were still not something that could be ignored.

Furthermore, when he had attempted to break through to Dou Di, he had specifically asked Gu Yuan that if anything happened to him, Gu Yuan must take good care of the Xiao Clan.

Therefore, in Xiao Xuan's mind, even without the Dou Di bloodline, the Xiao Clan should still have been a major force on the Dou Qi Continent, relying on its foundations and the protection of the Ancient Clan.

Seeing Xiao Xuan's burning, expectant gaze, Xiao Yi's expression only grew more unpleasant.

"Um..."

"Ancestor, the strongest person in the Xiao family is still its clan leader, Xiao Zhan!"

Xiao Xuan nodded. "The strongest person is the clan leader? That makes sense... After all, I was the clan leader back then as well... How strong is he?"

Xiao Yi took a deep breath and said softly:

"A five-star Da Dou Shi..."

"Da Dou Shi?"

"What level is that? Too much time has passed. My memory of this realm classification is somewhat vague?"

Curiosity appeared in Xiao Xuan's eyes. After all, he had been dead for a thousand years, and he could not clearly remember such a low-level realm.

After all, the Xiao Clan still possessed the Dou Di bloodline back then. A direct descendant of the Xiao Clan only needed to cultivate casually from birth to at least begin as a Dou Emperor.