A baptism of blood and fire

"Add in their other Dou Sheng, and they have over a hundred Dou Sheng Experts in total. If a force that powerful truly came pouring out of its nest, the odds would be grim for our Xiao Clan!"

Heavenly Strategy Manor, Heaven Beyond, Heavenly Eye Mountain Range.

Xiao Tian Ce knew that the information Xiao Qing had gathered was almost certainly accurate. That was precisely why he had decided to remain hidden in the shadows until he had absolute confidence.

He looked up at the worried Xiao Qing, pressed a hand downward to reassure her, and said, "Don't worry, Qing'er. I already knew most of this.

"The Hun Clan is one of the Ancient Eight Clans, after all. There's nothing strange about them having such deep reserves. If they were that easy to deal with, we wouldn't have relocated all the way to the Heavenly Eye Mountain Range.

"Besides, our Xiao Clan has plenty of Dou Sheng Experts, too, roughly as many as the Hun Clan. Unfortunately, the clan leader insisted on his own course and extracted the Dou Di bloodline from our clanspeople, causing their strength to plummet.

"Otherwise, what could the mere Hun Clan do, even if they came out in full force?"

Xiao Qing nodded and considered his words for a moment before cupping her hands. "You're absolutely right, Third Uncle. But the balance between offense and defense has changed. Once the clan leader fails, the clanspeople in the Xiao Realm alone won't possibly be able to stop the Hun Clan's experts.

"The moment battle begins, they could crumble at the first clash. Third Uncle, aren't we going to do something?"

Seeing that she remained standing so respectfully, Xiao Tian Ce instructed, "Sit down while we talk."

Then he continued, "The situation is plain to see. There is indeed a considerable gap between the two sides' strength.

"As for whether we should watch the tigers fight from the mountain or intervene to help, what do you think, Qing'er?"

Xiao Tian Ce intended to groom Xiao Qing as the Xiao Clan's next leader, so he wanted to hear her views on many matters.

If she was right, he would support her. If she overlooked anything, he could guide her now and correct it.

At his question, Xiao Qing's gaze gradually deepened. After a moment of silence, she raised her head and said earnestly, "Third Uncle, I think we cannot simply stand by and let them die, no matter what. They are still members of the Xiao Clan. I would feel terribly guilty if we did nothing."

"Yes, I understand what you mean. Go on. If we intervene, how should we arrange it?" Xiao Tian Ce nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, merely signaling for her to continue.

"Yes, Third Uncle.

"I believe that since the Hun Clan has chosen to come out in full force, they must be determined to destroy the entire Xiao Clan.

"If we let them succeed easily, they will probably become even more lawless in the future.

"And although the Hun Clan is powerful, I believe Hun Tiandi and their several eight-star Dou Sheng Experts will not take part in the fighting against our clanspeople.

"After all, even if the clan leader fails, as long as he survives, his strength will surely be too much for Hun Tiandi alone to overcome.

"In fact, if Hun Tiandi were to rank the importance of our clanspeople and our clan leader, the clan leader would undoubtedly come first.

"Therefore, until he can kill the clan leader, Hun Tiandi probably won't attack our clanspeople.

"Otherwise, if the clan leader escapes or recovers, endless disaster will await the Hun Clan.

"With Hun Tiandi's intelligence, he wouldn't be that foolish.

"Third Uncle, that is all your niece has to say. Please correct anything I've gotten wrong." Having finished, Xiao Qing bowed respectfully to Xiao Tian Ce.

Xiao Tian Ce nodded in satisfaction and praised her. "You've grown considerably, Qing'er. You're right. Before the clan leader dies-or rather, before Hun Tiandi has absolute confidence that he can kill him-he won't dare deal our clanspeople a fatal blow. That fits Hun Tiandi's thinking very well.

"However, that doesn't mean our clanspeople's safety is guaranteed.

"If I were Hun Tiandi, I would wait for the clan leader's attempt to reach Dou Di to fail. If he died, I would attack the Xiao Clan directly;

"If he survived, I would certainly bring several eight-star Dou Sheng Experts to pin him down and surround him, going all out to kill him.

"I could also strike on both fronts at once. Even if I couldn't kill the clan leader, I could still wipe out the Xiao Clan. Then, if he came seeking revenge later, I would simply face it."

With that, Xiao Tian Ce looked at Xiao Qing and asked gravely, "Qing'er, if Hun Tiandi makes that choice, what should we do?"

Xiao Qing froze for a moment. She had always believed that the Xiao Clan would be safe until Xiao Xuan died, but only now, after hearing Xiao Tian Ce's explanation, did she realize the truth.

"Indeed, you're right, Third Uncle. If Hun Tiandi divides his forces and strikes on both fronts, there will certainly be no way to guarantee our clanspeople's safety." Xiao Qing nodded, her expression growing somber.

She fell into thought again. Seeing this, Xiao Tian Ce did not hurry her. They absolutely could not rush a matter this important, or they could easily ruin everything.

Although he already had a complete plan, one person's schemes fell short where two minds could reach further. He also wanted to see what Xiao Qing would do.

Finally, after roughly ten minutes, Xiao Qing slowly spoke. "Third Uncle, in my view, we should not intervene on the clan leader's side. We should focus all our efforts on rescuing our clanspeople.

"If you and I act together, we should be able to save quite a few of them. That would also strengthen our Xiao Clan."

Xiao Tian Ce shook his head slightly at her words, then asked, "In that case, why don't we move the clanspeople out of the Xiao Realm right now? Wouldn't it be better to move them now and leave the Hun Clan striking at empty air?

"Wouldn't that preserve more of our Xiao Clan's strength?"

Seeing Xiao Qing's bewildered expression, Xiao Tian Ce continued, "When all is said and done, we face two serious problems.

"First, after enjoying tens of thousands of years of glory, our clanspeople simply won't listen to any advice now.

"Their arrogance has brought them to their current state. They think that once the clan leader successfully reaches Dou Di, their bloodline will awaken again, and they will gain even greater strength.

"So their current situation is their own choice. During my discussions with the clan leader, we both recognized this. Without bloodshed, there is no way to change their thinking.

"Only after they suffer defeat in this battle against the Hun Clan will they change, learning shame and then finding courage.

"Second, the fundamental reason we moved far from the Xiao Realm and had the clan leader put on an act with me is that, if he fails and dies, we won't have the strength to oppose Hun Tiandi in the short term.

"If he discovers us, we will surely die, and we could easily bury the Xiao Clan's last hope along with us."

At this point, a trace of murderous intent and brutality flashed through Xiao Tian Ce's eyes. He said coldly, "It isn't that the clan leader and I are heartless. The Xiao Clan as it is now must pay a terrible price before it can be reborn from the brink of destruction.

"Without breaking, there can be no rebuilding. Only after destruction can something new arise. Our clanspeople's thinking will change only when they clearly recognize this cruel truth.

"Cruel though it may be, the Dou Qi Continent has always revered the strong. The weak are meat for the strong, and only the fittest survive. That is an unchanging truth."

Xiao Qing fell silent. It was her first time hearing such words, and they shook her understanding profoundly.

After taking a while to recover, she looked at Xiao Tian Ce with a solemn, earnest expression and asked, "Then what you mean, Third Uncle, is that we must save them, but we should only act after every hope in their hearts has been shattered?"

"Correct. Change always requires bloodshed. Let this ordeal be a baptism of blood and fire.

"Besides, we will certainly act, but we cannot let the Hun Clan know it was us."