"Boy, your insolence will not be tolerated in my Xiao Clan."
As Xiao Tian's retreating figure came to a stop, a faint, aged voice drifted out from behind him. When Xiao Yan looked closely, he saw an old man in a brocade robe who had appeared behind Xiao Tian at some point. At this moment, his cloudy old eyes were staring at him from afar with a sharp gaze.
The moment the old man finished speaking, an invisible force surged forth, like a tidal wave crashing against Xiao Yan's golden body. In an instant, the Giant Elephant Art shattered, exposing Xiao Yan beneath it.
This scene naturally shocked Xiao Yan. The old man's strength was indeed terrifying. With just one sentence, he had broken through Xiao Yan's golden body. Moreover, judging from his words, he was clearly one of their opponents.
At that moment, Xiao Tian, who had been steadied by the old man, also came to his senses. The instant he turned his head, he saw the old man behind him, and a look of surprise quickly appeared on his face.
Grandpa, you've arrived!
"Um..."
The old man smiled slightly at Xiao Tian, and then slowly said:
"Be careful in the future. Although your Power of the Great Dao is extremely strong and you are not afraid of ordinary Yuan Zong, he is an exception, even though you are both of the fire attribute."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tian nodded solemnly. After the exchange just now, he realized how terrifying the Heavenly Flames was. Looking around the clan, even among his peers who were experts of the Yuan Zong, few could withstand his attack, let alone as easily as Xiao Yan. This shows how terrifying the Heavenly Flames's suppression of ordinary flames is!
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, who was opposite the two, was also staring at them with narrowed eyes. No wonder the old man had such a look in his eyes when he appeared; it turned out he was Xiao Tian's grandfather.
Upon thinking of this, Xiao Yan's heart sank, and he felt a sense of foreboding. If Xiao Tian alone was not enough to stop him from entering the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, then with this old man's intervention, things might not be so certain.
"You... are Xiao Yan?"
Turning his gaze back, the old man looked at Xiao Yan, whose golden body had dissipated. He took a small half-step forward, and in the next instant, he appeared not far in front of Xiao Yan. His cloudy eyes looked Xiao Yan up and down, his expression indifferent.
"Yes, it is I."
Faced with the old man's terrifying speed, Xiao Yan was secretly alarmed. He gritted his teeth, steadied himself, and bowed respectfully to the old man, speaking slowly.
"Huh?"
He had intended to use this opportunity to intimidate Xiao Yan, but to his surprise, the person before him remained calm. Even with the old man's unwavering composure, he couldn't help but feel a little astonished. Among the younger generation he had met, few possessed such composure. Yet, even so, his own stance remained unchanged.
"Your ancestor was promoted to Inner Cabinet Elder by the clan chief, so he must have told you a lot about the clan and should be familiar with the name Xiao Jinghong."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, Xiao Yan's heart tightened, and his expression changed slightly.
Xiao Jinghong remembered hearing Xiao Xuan talk about it last night. One of the three cabinet leaders was also the biggest obstacle for them to join the Xiao Clan. He never expected that he would encounter it in just one night.
Seeing the change in Xiao Yan's expression, Xiao Jinghong smiled with satisfaction and continued:
" Xiao Yan, I won't waste any more words. But there's one thing: this Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion is a sacred place for my Xiao Clan. Outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering. Although you have the Xiao Clan Bloodline flowing through your veins, you have no right to enter before you officially become a member of my Xiao Clan."
"Really..."
With a furrowed brow, Xiao Yan thought to himself, feeling a sense of helplessness. The Inner Pavilion Elder held a high position in the clan, and almost no one except the clan leader could control him. With just one word, he had blocked all of Xiao Yan's paths. If he could not enter the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion today, he would probably have no chance in the future.
"So, you can go back now."
Xiao Jinghong said calmly, looking at Xiao Yan with his eyes half-closed, as if waiting for his reaction. Just then, a delicate voice with a hint of arrogance suddenly rang out.
"Why go back? Since you're here, you should go in and take a look. You can't just slink away because of what you said."
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. He turned his head and saw a charming figure walking towards them not far away. Her lively eyes left Xiao Jinghong and then landed on him. She looked harmless with a smiling face, but Xiao Yan dared not be careless about this girl, especially considering what had happened the previous evening.
The person who came was none other than Xiao Ling'er, whom she had just fought yesterday.
Upon seeing Xiao Ling'er, even Xiao Jinghong, as an elder of the cabinet, couldn't help but frown. His gaze shifted, and he immediately began to ponder in his heart.
"Hehe, we meet again! You owe me a huge favor today."
Approaching Xiao Yan, the girl still had the same playful expression as yesterday, and smiled at him.
Xiao Yan quickly bowed and thanked her. Just by looking at the girl's expression, he knew that he probably wouldn't need to worry about what happened next.
" Ling'er, no matter how arrogant you are, Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion has its Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion rules. As an outsider, Xiao Yan has no right to enter!"
Beside Xiao Jinghong, Xiao Tian quickly stepped forward and said in a low voice.
Frowning, Xiao Jinghong glanced at his grandson, opened his mouth slightly but couldn't utter a word, then looked at Xiao Yan and the other person opposite him.
" Xiao Tian, whether Xiao Yan is a foreigner or not is not something you should be asking..."
"You..."
"Besides, whether or not he can enter the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion is not up to you."
Upon hearing these two sentences again, Xiao Tian's face instantly turned ashen. He hesitated for a moment, about to speak again, but was stopped by Xiao Jinghong beside him.
" Ling'er, tell me, what exactly happened?"
Seeing this, Xiao Ling'er smiled wryly and said:
"The Grand Elder has decreed that Xiao Yan is permitted to enter the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, and no one is allowed to obstruct him."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghong nodded with a grim expression. Although he had already guessed the outcome, hearing Xiao Ling'er's explanation in person still surprised him. Judging from her appearance, the Grand Elder must have already met Xiao Yan.
Letting out a long breath, Xiao Jinghong was about to turn around when he suddenly turned back, looking at the man before him again with suspicion:
"Girl, you can't lie to me. Did the Grand Elder really say these words to you?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling'er's pretty face immediately froze slightly. Then, she hurriedly took out a white jade pendant from her Storage Ring, on which was clearly written the character "Xiao".
"This is a jade token given to me by the Grand Elder. Would you like to take a look?"
As she said this, the girl's throat involuntarily bobbed.
The next moment, just as Xiao Jinghong was about to raise his hand to take the jade token, his gaze suddenly changed, and his hand stopped moving immediately. Then, he took a deep look at Xiao Yan and the other person, and disregarded Xiao Tian's insistence, quickly led them away from the place.