At the entrance of the main hall, Xiao Yuheng squinted at Xiao Xuan on the field, a slight smile playing on his lips, and a look of amazement appeared on his face.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Borrowing the power of the Wind God's Fury to unleash the Great Dao of the Sword, the power of this sword strike is probably unmatched by few below the Yuan Zun. I just wonder what kind of scene it would be if he used his full strength."
After a brief murmur, Xiao Yuheng's gaze was fixed intently on Xiao Xuan, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He pondered for a moment, then abruptly shifted his gaze to the Xiao Clan elders before him, and said sternly:
"By my decree, effective immediately, Xiao Xuan is promoted to Elder of the Inner Cabinet, Xiao Yan as a direct descendant of our clan, receiving the same treatment as the Crown Prince."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the elders nearby changed instantly, and astonished gazes immediately focused on Xiao Yuheng, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Clan leader, even if Xiao Xuan defeats the Crown Prince today, he is still an outsider, and his cultivation is so low, how can he be worthy of the position of Inner Cabinet Elder!"
"Although Xiao Xuan possesses the Power of the Great Dao, how could he have defeated Xiao Feng without resorting to a surprise attack? Moreover, Xiao Yan's attitude in the hall was quite unruly. Since he is unwilling to join our Xiao Clan, how can he be qualified to become a direct descendant of our clan!"
Cold words rose and fell. Although they had all witnessed the battle, they were clearly unwilling to accept what had happened, and their words were quite derogatory towards Xiao Yan and his grandfather.
"Qualifications? Xiao Xuan possesses the Power of the Great Dao, isn't that a qualification? With his cultivation as Origin Emperor, he was able to defeat Xiao Feng, a Four-Star Yuan Zong. Regardless of his methods, his victory is the result. As for Xiao Yan, putting aside everything else, just the fact that he can subdue Heavenly Flames, who on the continent today can do that?"
Xiao Yuheng's extremely authoritative gaze slowly swept over the group of elders in front of him, and he spoke in a slightly deep tone.
"Mutual exclusion among clansmen isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you take the wrong side, don't blame me for being ruthless. You are all elders of the clan, so I won't say anything that would embarrass you. But I hope you understand that what I said earlier was to inform you, not to solicit your opinions."
After uttering a casual remark, Xiao Yuheng turned and walked into the main hall. The elders looked at each other, speechless. After a long while, they sighed deeply and left.
On the other side, Xiao Yan and his grandson exchanged a few more words with Xiao Mingyuan, and after taking the latter away, they were also preparing to leave. But at this moment, Xiao Feng, who was being helped up by two guards, suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a minute..."
Xiao Yan paused, turned to look at Xiao Feng with an unfriendly expression, and frowned, saying:
"Is there anything else?"
Beside him, Xiao Xuan also slowly turned around, his gaze calmly fixed on the latter.
Ignoring Xiao Yan's cold gaze, Xiao Feng looked directly at Xiao Xuan beside him, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a deep voice:
"Your cultivation level can't possibly be stuck at the Origin Emperor, can it?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. Even the Great Elder of the Xiao Clan was helpless regarding Xiao Xuan's cultivation level, yet this guy still had doubts.
Xiao Xuan remained calm in response, but ultimately did not answer Xiao Feng's question. However, as he turned away, Xiao Feng vaguely saw that Xiao Xuan seemed to nod almost imperceptibly, which confirmed Xiao Feng's suspicions.
After a long while, Xiao Feng finally smiled wistfully, composed himself, stepped aside the two guards supporting him, watched the two departing figures, let out a long sigh, and said slowly:
"It seems my defeat in this battle wasn't unjust..."
With a soft sigh, his body trembled slightly. Suppressing the waves of weakness emanating from within him, he forced himself to walk slowly back the way he had come, relying solely on his willpower.
On the field, the Xiao Clan guards watched this scene with surprise and admiration.
Xiao Feng was, after all, the heir of the Xiao Clan. Although he suffered a crushing defeat in his battle against Xiao Xuan, he was still able to drag his heavily injured body along with his own strength. This was something that no ordinary person could do!
"Creak."
A wooden door was slowly pushed open, and a slightly hazy ray of sunlight spread in through the crack, eventually forming a thin beam of light on the ground.
As the wooden door was fully pushed open, the light rapidly expanded, and then two figures, stretched to different lengths by the sunlight, walked in. They were none other than Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yan, the grandfather and grandson.
After a whole day of trivial matters, it was already getting dark. Only then could Xiao Yan finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although the process was somewhat tedious, he had finally arrived at the Xiao Clan and seen that Xiao Xuan was unharmed. His biggest worry was thus relieved.
Although the worries deep in his heart had been dispelled, another problem still lingered in Xiao Yan's mind at this moment.
"You can stay here for now. I believe the clan leader will send word soon."
Leaning back lazily in his chair, Xiao Xuan let out a long sigh, his face slightly tired, and smiled at Xiao Yan.
"Message?"
Xiao Yan was about to nod, but then frowned, his face full of suspicion. Xiao Yan smiled slightly and continued:
"The clan leader witnessed everything that happened today. Even if it wasn't for me, he should have done something to help you join the Xiao Clan."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression faltered slightly, and his gaze on Xiao Xuan became somewhat uncertain. After a brief pause, he suddenly said:
Ancestor, do you really intend to stay here?
As things stand, Xiao Yan has no goodwill towards this so-called clan. If it weren't for Xiao Xuan's sake, he probably would have left long ago. But after the incident with Xiao Feng, Xiao Yan can see that Xiao Xuan seems to have come to approve of the current Xiao Clan. This alone is enough to make him change his perspective on the Xiao Clan.
To this, Xiao Xuan smiled faintly and said:
"You're saying this because of what happened during the day, right?"
Xiao Yan remained noncommittal, while the former shook his head dismissively and smiled, saying:
"Heh, you brat, the Xiao Clan, as one of the three major clans, would never be as domineering as you see today. What you've seen is merely what others want you to see. Besides..."
At the end of his sentence, Xiao Xuan suddenly paused, then slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan before him, and said in a slightly somber tone:
"Your trip to the Central Region wasn't solely for the Xiao Clan and me. I believe you're already aware of the connection between the Ghost Fiend Gate and the Ghost Gate. If you want to rescue your wife from them, you can't do it on your own. I'm sure you understand this better than anyone else."
" Xun'er..."
Mentioning Xun'er, Xiao Yan's body trembled violently, his face instantly turning gloomy. His originally calm heart surged with a terrifying killing intent in that instant, and even the aura within his body was uncontrollably released.