Inside the secret chamber, candlelight flickered, casting Yao Dan's withered face half in light and half in shadow.
"This is the Yao Clan's Ancient Jade. Wan Huo, take Ling'er and leave at once! Although the Hun Clan has been wiped out, Hun Tiandi and Nihility Devouring Flame are still alive. The Gu, Yan, and Lei Clans naturally have nothing to fear, but our Yao Clan... is still too weak, after all."
Yao Wanhuo shuddered, his grizzled beard trembling violently, his eyes filled with disbelief. He stepped forward and all but roared:
"Clan Leader! I have guarded the Yao Clan all my life. Now that calamity is upon us, you want me to flee?"
"This isn't fleeing. You must protect Ling'er and the Ancient Jade, and preserve a last ember of the Yao Clan's lineage." Yao Dan's voice was hoarse, yet carried an unquestionable resolve. "Hun Tiandi and Nihility Devouring Flame could arrive at any moment. If my guess is right, the Spirit and Stone Clans have very likely already fallen victim to them."
Yao Ling stood to one side, her slender body trembling slightly, her eyes already rimmed with red. She bit her lower lip, struggling to hold back her tears, but her voice still broke with sobs:
"Father, I'm not leaving. I want to stay with the Yao Clan..."
"Ling'er!" Yao Dan whipped his head around, his gaze sharp as a blade. "You are the descendant most likely to reach the emperor realm in the Yao Clan's past thousand years. Only if you live will the Yao Clan have a future. If even you fall here, will I, Yao Dan, ever have a chance to rise again?"
He extended his hand. In his palm lay a piece of Ancient Jade, emerald green throughout. Nurtured by the Yao Clan, its