Then Kill Me

Xiao Realm, Xiao Xuan's residence.

As he watched the fervor in Xiao Xuan's eyes, Xiao Tian Ce fell silent. To be honest, Xiao Xuan's sheer audacity had truly shaken him.

Just think about it-the courage to destroy everything and build anew, to believe there could be no renewal without destruction, was not something everyone possessed.

At the very least, this man before him was the first on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Even when Hun Tiandi later sacrificed his own Hun Clan, he only dared attempt a breakthrough to the Dou Di Realm after using the Central Plains as a cauldron, living beings as ingredients, heaven and earth as fire, and his flesh as a pill to refine the Emperor Grade Nascent Pill into a finished Emperor Pill.

If Hun Tiandi could be called an ruthless overlord of his generation, then the man before him was a fusion of hero and overlord.

"Brother Xuan, how did you come up with this method?" Xiao Tian Ce asked gravely, shock showing in his eyes.

"Fifty years ago, after my cultivation reached nine-star Peak Dou Sheng, I could no longer make even the slightest progress. I began to feel that becoming a Dou Di would require paying a certain price.

"As for our bloodline power, when the Xiao Clan's ancestor became a Dou Di, the Dou Di bloodline naturally manifested within the bodies of his descendants.

"So I believe there's a chance of success." Xiao Xuan fell silent for a moment before sighing.

"How much of a chance?"

Xiao Tian Ce asked again. He wanted to know whether Xiao Xuan was acting on a moment of hotheadedness or truly had confidence in succeeding.

"Less than ten percent." Xiao Xuan sighed. He knew the man before him was meticulous and quick-witted, with an intellect unmatched throughout the Xiao Clan. Any attempt at deception would surely be seen through.

Rather than that, he might as well speak frankly and tell the truth.

That answer disappointed Xiao Tian Ce. Although Xiao Xuan was not simply acting on impulse, this was hardly any different from a reckless gamble.

"I don't agree!"

"Why?" Xiao Xuan was stunned. He had thought Xiao Tian Ce would support him.

"Brother Xuan, do you know the consequences of doing this?

"If you succeed, the Xiao Clan will indeed gain a new lease on life and leap to become the most powerful clan on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

"But have you considered what will become of the Xiao Clan if you strip every clansman of their bloodline power and ultimately fail?" Xiao Tian Ce sprang to his feet, staring straight at Xiao Xuan as he spoke coldly.

Xiao Xuan fell silent. He lowered his head without a word. Only after a long while did he look up at the agitated Xiao Tian Ce and say, "I know. Once every clansman's bloodline power is extracted, all their cultivation levels will plummet instantly.

"If I fail, the entire Xiao Clan will become lambs awaiting slaughter in the eyes of the other Emperor Clans, utterly powerless to fight back."

At that point, Xiao Xuan stood as well. He walked to the window and gazed at the lingering Setting Sun Glow in the distance before speaking again in a hoarse voice. "Rather than let the Xiao Clan decline little by little, we might as well make one wild, earth-shaking attempt.

"Besides, apart from the branch under your command, all the other clansmen have already agreed to this plan.

"Now, as the Xiao Clan's patriarch, I ask you, Xiao Tian Ce: do you agree to have the clansmen's bloodline power extracted and concentrated within me alone, so that I may attempt a breakthrough to the Dou Di Realm?"

Looking at Xiao Xuan, who had already made up his mind yet was doomed to fail, Xiao Tian Ce knew he could not let the Xiao Clan be destroyed in his hands.

A longsword instantly appeared in his hand. Xiao Tian Ce drew it and pointed it at Xiao Xuan. "Brother Xuan, if you truly do this, our Xiao Clan will surely decline because of you!"

"You have enjoyed a thousand years of glory. It is time to contribute your own strength to the clan's greatness. The chance to restore our clan's prestige is now before us." Xiao Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his words utterly domineering.

"Must you really do this? You know perfectly well that your chance of becoming a Dou Di is less than ten percent. Will you still insist on having your way?" The longsword in Xiao Tian Ce's hand remained motionless before Xiao Xuan.

"So what? I am the Xiao Clan's patriarch. Everything in the Xiao Clan is mine to decide," Xiao Xuan declared with unbridled authority. Xiao Tian Ce could hear the absolute resolve in his words.

"Then kill me first, and use the meager bloodline within my body to lend you a hand."

The longsword in Xiao Tian Ce's hand abruptly vanished. He closed his eyes and spread his arms, making no attempt to defend himself as he prepared to face Xiao Xuan's wrath.

"You think I wouldn't dare?" Seeing this, Xiao Xuan felt a stab of pain in his heart.

"Hahaha, come on! Since you've made up your mind, kill me now.

"As long as you kill me now, you can take the bloodline power of my branch as you please.

"Besides, you, Xiao Xuan, are now hailed as the strongest man on the Dou Qi Continent. Rather than wait to die at someone else's hands later, I might as well die at yours now. At least then my journey through this world won't have been in vain. I'm Xiao Tian Ce, after all."

Xiao Tian Ce laughed wildly, as though possessed, and shouted with his eyes closed.

Across from him, Xiao Xuan's gaze was deep and unreadable. As he looked at this unfamiliar side of Xiao Tian Ce, conflict filled his face.

Several times, his aura surged, only for him to forcibly suppress it again and again.

"Ah."

Xiao Xuan let out a heavy sigh, and his aura instantly dissipated. Looking at the fearless Xiao Tian Ce, he sighed again. "Tian Ce, oh, Tian Ce. You haven't changed at all. If you refuse to accept something, even a blade against your throat won't make you budge an inch.

"Sometimes, you are the wisest person in the entire Xiao Clan. But sometimes, you are also the most foolish."

Hearing those words, Xiao Tian Ce knew Xiao Xuan had abandoned the idea of attacking him.

He smiled faintly, then said with easy composure, "Life and death are dictated by fate, wealth and honor by heaven. Besides, while we live in this world, we must have principles we stand by.

"If I can't even be my own master, I might as well die and take a stroll down that legendary Yellow Springs Road. Perhaps there will be a different kind of scenery there."

Something stirred within Xiao Xuan at those words. He looked at Xiao Tian Ce and asked gravely, "Tian Ce, is god-grade bloodline power really that important to you?"

Xiao Tian Ce sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip before laughing heartily. "Hahaha, Brother Xuan, it seems you still don't understand me.

"To me, this so-called god-grade bloodline power is nothing more than a worldly possession. With it, I cultivate a little faster. Without it, I'm still confident I can stand at the summit of the Dou Qi Continent.

"But Brother Xuan, although you are indeed the Xiao Clan's patriarch, I, Xiao Tian Ce, am also a member of the Xiao Clan. You aren't the only one worried about its future. I, too, hope the Xiao Clan will keep growing stronger.

"In my eyes, Brother Xuan, you are a man of tremendous courage, with unrivaled personal charisma. But you truly are not a qualified patriarch.

"Your desire to gather the entire clan's bloodline power and attempt a breakthrough to the Dou Di Realm is indeed admirable.

"But if you fail, you will drag the entire Xiao Clan into the abyss.

"And I need to leave the Xiao Clan a way out-a path that will let us survive without clinging miserably to life or bowing and scraping."

Speaking at length in one breath, Xiao Tian Ce laid bare everything in his heart.

Moreover, if Xiao Xuan had said earlier that he had more than a thirty-percent chance of success, Xiao Tian Ce might well have supported him wholeheartedly. At most, he would have helped guard against sneak attacks from Hun Tiandi and the others.

But a chance of less than ten percent meant a ninety-percent likelihood of failure. In that case, sorry, but Xiao Tian Ce had never been someone who could place his fate in another person's hands.

Xiao Xuan pondered for a moment, coming to understand what Xiao Tian Ce meant.

"Is that so?

"I understand. Tian Ce, you have a point.

"In that case, take your branch and leave the Xiao Realm ten years from now. When the time comes, I will gather all the clan's resources for you to take with you.

"If I succeed, bring the clansmen back. If I fail, the Xiao Clan's future will rest on your shoulders."

"All right, Brother Xuan. I promise you that if you fail, I will shoulder the Xiao Clan's future.

"Also, I once heard a saying, and I hope you'll give it some thought, Brother Xuan.

"As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

With that, Xiao Tian Ce's figure vanished instantly.

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