Now That Was Xiao Xuan

"Brother Xuan, in talent and courage, I'm no match for you!"

Xiao Realm, Xiao Xuan's residence.

Hearing Xiao Tian Ce's heartfelt admission, Xiao Xuan's mood improved considerably. He burst out laughing. "Tian Ce, after all these years, this is the first time you've admitted to my face that you're no match for me! Hahaha!"

Seeing how pleased Xiao Xuan looked, Xiao Tian Ce could not bear to interrupt him. Only after he had calmed down did Xiao Tian Ce speak. "Brother Xuan, let's get back to business. I came to see you today because I'd like you to put on an act with me."

"An act? Let's hear it." Xiao Xuan looked puzzled.

"It's simple. All you need to do is fight me, then pretend to kill me in front of all our clansmen. After that, in a fit of anger, strike down everyone in my branch of the clan. That will do." After some thought, Xiao Tian Ce revealed his plan.

After hearing this, Xiao Xuan frowned and asked gravely, "You don't trust the other clansmen? Is that why you want me to help your branch fake their deaths and escape?"

"It's not that I don't trust the other clansmen. But you should understand, Brother Xuan: a scheme that isn't kept secret can cost you your life.

"We can trust our clansmen, but the fewer people who know about this, the safer we'll be.

"As far as I know, there are quite a few spies from the Emperor Clans among us. If our branch disappears for no reason, I'm afraid we won't be able to hide it.

"Of course, if you truly succeed in breaking through to Dou Di, we can return to the Xiao Realm. With you here, the other Emperor Clans won't dare act rashly.

"But you said it yourself: your chance of success is less than ten percent. I'm not fretting that the sky might fall. If-and I do mean if-you fail to break through to Dou Di, you could suffer severe injuries or meet with some mishap. Then keeping this secret will be crucial for us. It will determine whether we live or die.

"You should know, Brother Xuan, that no one in the entire Xiao Clan besides you can contend with Hun Tiandi of the Hun Clan.

"And with Nihility Devouring Flame, whose injuries should be almost healed, joining him, all our clansmen will surely face grim odds," Xiao Tian Ce said worriedly.

Though this somewhat bolstered their enemies' spirit while diminishing their own prestige, this truly was a critical hour of survival. When lives were at stake, no amount of caution was excessive.

Seeing how solemn he was, Xiao Xuan gave the matter serious thought. As the Xiao Clan's patriarch and the acknowledged strongest expert on the entire Dou Qi Continent, he was hardly lacking in wisdom. It was simply that, whenever trouble arose, he could usually resolve it by crushing everything in his path.

After all, before absolute strength, everything was merely a paper tiger.

Now that he considered it carefully, if he truly failed, not a single member of the Xiao Clan would be able to escape Hun Tiandi's pursuit.

At this thought, he looked at Xiao Tian Ce and asked, "Tian Ce, since you brought up Nihility Devouring Flame, could you be mistaken about his strength?

"A hundred years ago, Nihility Devouring Flame did appear beside Hun Tiandi, but his strength should only have been at the peak of a one-star Dou Sheng. Even after a century, he shouldn't have become all that powerful, should he?"

Xiao Tian Ce gave a bitter smile at those words, then explained, "Brother Xuan, you must have misjudged him. When I entered the secret realm back then, I stayed hidden the whole time. I personally sensed that Nihility Devouring Flame had reached at least eight-star Dou Sheng.

"So I deliberately opened a corner of the seal, making him think there was an opportunity, and waited for him to break through the seal himself.

"That was precisely why the seal severely injured him, dropping his strength to the peak of a one-star Dou Sheng. Only then did I seize the chance to capture him.

"Later, before I could refine him, Hun Tiandi ambushed me, leaving me gravely injured and unconscious. A hundred years have passed. With the Hun Clan's resources, Nihility Devouring Flame would have had enough to recover to his peak, perhaps even advance further."

Xiao Xuan fell silent for a moment, considering a countermeasure. Indeed, he was currently the strongest person in the room, a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint.

Below him, however, there was one eight-star Dou Sheng and two Seven-Star Dou Saints. Though they were far from weak, once their bloodline power was stripped away, they would drop by at least two or three stars. By then, they truly would have no way to contend with the Hun Clan.

"All right. I'll help you put on this act. Also, if the Hun Clan truly dares attack, I'll do my utmost to take Hun Tiandi down with me and severely injure Nihility Devouring Flame."

At this point, as an added precaution, Xiao Xuan took a bamboo scroll and an Ink-Colored Jade Pendant from his Storage Ring and offered both to Xiao Tian Ce.

"What are these?"

Xiao Tian Ce did not take them.

"This bamboo scroll contains the Heavenly Demon Puppet Refining Secret Art. I've also placed a restriction on this jade pendant, and it holds a sliver of my soul.

"Once I die, you need only crush this jade pendant to instantly retrieve my body.

"You're an eighth-tier alchemist. You should have no shortage of pills that can improve the chances of successfully refining a Heavenly Demon Puppet.

"With this sliver of my soul and my body, even if the Heavenly Demon Puppet you refine isn't as powerful as I am now, it should reach at least eight-star Dou Sheng," Xiao Xuan explained gravely.

Hearing this, Xiao Tian Ce felt admiration well up within him. Xiao Xuan's personal charisma had truly won him over.

This was no joke. What powerful expert would willingly let someone use his corpse to refine a Heavenly Demon Puppet after his death?

Yet Xiao Xuan dared to do so, and had even made such thorough preparations for himself.

For a moment, the bamboo scroll and jade pendant Xiao Xuan offered felt as heavy as hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Seeing him hesitate in silence, Xiao Xuan laughed and placed the bamboo scroll directly into his hand. Then he smiled. "Keep them safe. These are merely a few contingencies. If I succeed in breaking through to Dou Di, won't everyone be happy?

"Besides, you've reminded me. It looks like I still need to make a few more preparations."

With a solemn expression, Xiao Tian Ce put away the bamboo scroll and the Ink-Colored Jade Pendant. After a moment of silence, he looked at Xiao Xuan again, hope in his eyes. "Brother Xuan, must you attempt to break through to the Dou Di Realm?"

"Hahaha! Tian Ce, don't look as though I'm certain to fail. This decision wasn't something I made just today," Xiao Xuan said with an easy laugh.

Hearing this, Xiao Tian Ce could no longer worry about anything else. He decided to tell Xiao Xuan what he knew.

"Brother Xuan, do you know that you must have origin qi to successfully break through to Dou Di? Without origin qi, no matter how extraordinary your talent, you'll fail!" Xiao Tian Ce shouted urgently.

Yet, contrary to his expectations, a smile appeared on Xiao Xuan's face after he heard this. Then he said with a smile, "Origin qi? Of course I know. Aside from origin qi, I could also search for the cave abode left behind by Tou She Ancient God. There should be something inside that could allow me to succeed."

Boom!

Hearing those words, Xiao Tian Ce felt as though five thunderbolts had struck his head.

Xiao Xuan actually knew all this. Then why had he still chosen this path?

Seeing his bewildered expression, Xiao Xuan burst out laughing. "Tian Ce, I am Xiao Xuan-the acknowledged strongest expert on the Dou Qi Continent."

Looking at the proud, spirited Xiao Xuan, Xiao Tian Ce understood. Everything he knew, Xiao Xuan knew as well. But he was Xiao Xuan, the strongest expert on the Dou Qi Continent today. Even if other methods could improve his chances of success, he disdained using them.

And this was Xiao Xuan.

This was the Xiao Xuan praised by countless powerful experts across the Dou Qi Continent.

At this thought, Xiao Tian Ce rose and bowed respectfully to Xiao Xuan, saying gravely, "Then let me wish you success in attaining the Dao of Dou Di, Brother Xuan!"

"Hahaha!"

Xiao Xuan laughed heartily, feeling utterly at ease. After a long while, he teased, "I thought you'd finally become willing to have the clansmen of your branch strip away their Dou Di bloodline power and give it to me!"

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