"Junior Xiao Yan greets the Clan Chief and Sixth Elder!"
Faced with the sudden appearance of the Sixth Elder, Xiao Yan was surprised, but he dared not be negligent. However, he deliberately ignored Xiao Dingtian in his words, which made the latter's Elder Zhang look quite ugly.
" Xiao Yan, I just heard the clan leader praising you, but now that I see you, you seem more like the unruly person described in the rumors. You're the first person in all these years to dare to make a move in the ancestral hall's villa."
Ignoring Xiao Yan's respectful manners, Xiao Yuehua spoke coldly without expression.
"The ancestral hall is the seat of the family's prestige. If your behavior is not severely punished, it may corrupt the family's reputation."
Xiao Dingtian spoke righteously and eloquently.
Upon hearing this, many eyes turned to the former and Xiao Yan. With just a few words, the atmosphere in the room became tense, as if Xiao Dingtian was determined to prevent Xiao Yan from participating in the Clan Ritual.
Xiao Yuheng stood to the side expressionless, but a hint of displeasure flashed deep in his eyes.
"Clan leader, elders, I was merely testing him out of curiosity. Xiao Yan was only acting in self-defense. If there is to be punishment, I, Siyu, am willing to bear it all."
Just then, Xiao Siyu suddenly stepped forward to defend herself, and everyone's attention shifted. Xiao Dingtian's brows, which had just relaxed, immediately furrowed.
"In my humble opinion, Xiao Siyu was merely probing unintentionally, yet this brat attacked without distinguishing friend from foe, clearly indicating it was intentional. Such a person..."
" Xiao Dingtian, don't lose your composure."
As Xiao Dingtian finished speaking, an unpleasant low voice suddenly reached his ears. His mind went blank, and the words he was about to say were abruptly stopped. After a few seconds of pause, as he came to his senses amidst the suspicious gazes of the clansmen around him, a piercing buzzing sound suddenly came from the ancestral hall in the courtyard behind them, where the gate was tightly closed.
As dozens of eyes converged on one spot, they saw the gate of the ancestral hall slowly opening, and everyone's emotions shifted dramatically in that instant.
The ancestral hall has been opened!
Footsteps sounded one after another, and a series of passionate and loud voices rose into the sky. In the blink of an eye, only Xiao Yan and his group, along with Xiao Shaojun and others, remained on the spot.
At this moment, Xiao Yuehua lazily withdrew her gaze, glanced indifferently at Xiao Dingtian, then looked at Xiao Yuheng beside her. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing more, turned around and walked towards the ancestral hall.
"Haha, it's open, it's open! Let's go, the Clan Ritual is more important."
Xiao Mingyuan chuckled dryly and hurriedly urged Xiao Yan and the others to hurry up.
Although Xiao Yuheng's words sounded calm, the anger in them was undeniable, and even someone as composed as him was genuinely taken aback.
Normally, there are many in the clan who ridicule the clan leader for being virtuous but incompetent, lacking initiative in important clan matters, and letting him act arbitrarily. Some even think that the position of clan leader is merely a formality. However, judging from that brief remark just now, coupled with the reactions of Xiao Dingtian and the other two, it is clear that this is quite different from what everyone thinks, which makes people take notice.
"Hey, the clan leader is just letting the internal power struggles run rampant. Don't think he's really not going to do anything. Once the clan leader gets serious, even the Grand Elder might have to obey his orders."
Noticing the hushed discussion among Xiao Lei and the others, Xiao Mingyuan glanced at Xiao Yuheng behind him out of the corner of his eye and said teasingly:
"Since he can hold onto the position of clan leader so firmly, his abilities are beyond doubt. Don't underestimate him."
As he spoke, the old man patted Xiao Yan's shoulder lightly, then turned back to look ahead. Just as the Xuan Gate was fully opened and the surging crowd reached the entrance, a deep, deafening roar, like a lion's roar, suddenly swept out from within the ancestral hall, instantly causing the group to retreat.
The sudden scene before his eyes made Xiao Yan raise an eyebrow slightly. There was someone else in this ancestral hall, and judging from that roar, this person's strength must be terrifying!
"Everyone, retreat at least ten feet away!"
As a figure stepped out, a chilling command rang out immediately. The moment those present saw the figure, they all retreated hastily with expressions of fear on their faces.
The crowd parted, revealing a burly figure with graying skin and hair.
When Xiao Yan first saw this person, his breath caught in his throat for a moment, and his body involuntarily stiffened slightly.
In the instant he came to his senses, Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he gasped for breath. When he looked up again, he realized that the person was staring intently at him.
Don't look him in the eyes!
Xiao Mingyuan gave a low shout, pulling Xiao Yan, who was about to lose focus, back to reality.
"This is the fourth elder of the family, Xiao Ming. He has dedicated his life to pursuing the Great Dao of Rock, and even his eyes have been trained to be incredibly strange. If you look into his eyes, be very careful not to be petrified by his bizarre ability."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan suddenly realized why he had felt such immense pressure just now. The reason was this. But now, upon further reflection, he realized that this Fourth Elder was indeed astonishing. With just a glance, he possessed such a strange ability. One could only imagine how terrifying his true strength must be. He could see the whole leopard from a single spot!
"Since joining the clan, I've always harbored curiosity and skepticism towards the ten elders, but after meeting these two today, I've truly witnessed the profound strength of the Xiao Clan."
Xiao Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly. Judging from the two elders he saw in the courtyard, their strength must be above the Yuan Zun. Now it seems that, apart from the one beside him, the strength of the ten elders of the Xiao Clan is not inferior in the slightest.
"What are you saying? I am ranked third among the elders, but that doesn't mean the ten elders are ranked according to their strength. If I hadn't devoted myself to studying alchemy, my cultivation level wouldn't be inferior to the Grand Elder's."
Sensing the underlying meaning in Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Mingyuan pouted unconvinced and said arrogantly.
The former, upon hearing this, simply smiled, thinking it was a joke. However, Xiao Shaojun leaned closer and whispered in his ear:
"That's true. The Third Elder's talent and bloodline are unmatched in the clan. However, he is lazy and fond of leisure, which is why he has only achieved what he has today."
Surprised, Xiao Ming shouted again from ahead.
"Everyone must pass the Blood Stone test before entering the ancestral shrine; those who disobey will be executed!"
These words were concise, but they did not sound like a joke. Xiao Yan had no doubt that if anyone disobeyed, Xiao Ming would not hesitate for a moment.
"This guy is really ruthless!"
Xiao Yan smacked his lips and sighed softly.
Xiao Mingyuan was not surprised and said:
"Rumors in the Central Region say that there are two people in the Xiao Clan who are most untouchable: one is Xiao Yuehua, the Heartless Whip, and the other is Xiao Ming, the Cold-Faced Asura. This is not for any other reason than that these two show no mercy even to their own clansmen when they fight. The clan leader suffered a lot at their hands when he was young."
At the end of his sentence, Xiao Mingyuan pointedly turned his gaze to Xiao Yuheng, which caused Xiao Yan and the others, who were unaware of the situation, to show expressions of curiosity. Even Xiao Shaojun showed some interest and came over.
Before Xiao Mingyuan could say anything more, Xiao Dingtian and Xiao Yuehua stepped onto the high platform, and everyone's attention turned to a blood-red crystal that appeared in Xiao Dingtian's hand.