Ancient Chen Hall.
Xiao Yan faced the tightly closed main hall and bowed respectfully.
Xiao Yan greets Elder Li.
As soon as he finished speaking, the void in front of him slowly distorted, and an old man dressed in purple robes appeared.
This old man was none other than Xiao Li, the steward of the Ancient Chen Hall. Xiao Yan Xiao Clan. Although the old man had an eccentric personality, according to Xiao Xuan, he was one of the few people in the Xiao Clan who did not judge people based on their status.
The old man's deep gaze swept over Xiao Yan, who stood before him, and he said with a slight look of surprise:
"How strange! The ancestral hall is opening today, and it should be the time for the Clan Ritual. Why are you here?"
Seeing that Xiao Yan did not answer, Xiao Li immediately turned his gaze to the sky above the Ancient Chen Hall and said in a low voice:
"Since you've come along, you probably know what's going on!"
Xiao Yan looked in the direction Xiao Mingyuan was looking and, sure enough, it was Xiao Mingyuan, who had been following them all along. The latter flashed to their side, facing Xiao Yan, but the words of advice he wanted to say stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth, then angrily berated Xiao Li:
"You old bastard, it's none of your business how I behave! If you don't rein in your damned temper, I'll make sure you die of old age in the Ancient Chen Hall!"
"You're the same way!"
Undeterred by the latter, Xiao Li engaged in a heated exchange of insults, during which Xiao Mingyuan recounted in detail what had happened at the ancestral hall.
" Xiao Dingtian has lived an arrogant life, but after this incident, I'm afraid he'll never have a chance to rise again. As for Xiao Xuan, I've always felt there was something strange about his cultivation, but I never expected him to possess the Radiant Gold Bloodline. He's truly remarkable."
After his remarks, Xiao Li couldn't help but mock Xiao Dingtian today. When he mentioned Xiao Xuan, his deep old eyes couldn't hide his surprise and relief. Clearly, he had always harbored doubts about what happened back then, and now that he learned that Xiao Xuan actually possessed the power of the Radiant Gold Bloodline, his astonishment deepened.
Turning back, Xiao Li focused his gaze on Xiao Yan again and nodded, saying:
"Young man, I can roughly understand what you did today. How dashing it is for a man to stand tall among heroes and have his sights set on the world! That Xiao Dingtian is just a commoner, no need to pay him any mind. You can go ahead and do your thing. As for the Clan Ritual, you can enter the ancestral hall when you return another day."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly. He hadn't considered those things. He exchanged a few pleasantries with the old man, and then left the Xiao Clan with Xiao Mingyuan.
A moment later, Xiao City.
Xiao Yan gazed into the distance, looking at the distant mountains. A familiar sense of loneliness washed over him, making him slightly melancholic.
Xiao Mingyuan, standing beside him, was also unsure what to say. After a slight hesitation, he said:
"Have you really made up your mind to leave like this?"
"Um."
Xiao Yan nodded slowly. Since arriving in the Central Region, he had come all the way for Xiao Xuan, and now it was finally time for him to go out and make his own way.
"Little one, I'm sorry..."
Suddenly, Xiao Mingyuan bowed deeply to Xiao Yan with a solemn expression, his suppressed emotions finally surfaced, and his old eyes were filled with remorse.
"Third Elder, what is the meaning of this?!"
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and quickly bowed to help him up.
"I know that everything that happened today is ultimately my fault. If I hadn't failed to take good care of Xiao Xuan these past few years, and hadn't failed to uphold the family's proper stance, none of these mistakes would have occurred. These are all my faults, but... but I still want to beg you to believe that the Xiao Clan truly needs you. You... you must come back!"
Tears streamed down Xiao Mingyuan's face. He was filled with fear, afraid that Xiao Yan Xiao Yan never return and that Xiao Yan would sever all ties with the Xiao Clan. Even though he knew that Xiao Xuan and others were still in the clan, he couldn't help but feel afraid as he looked at Xiao Yan who was about to leave.
Looking at the old man who had suddenly become so agitated, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, then smiled and shrugged. Whether it was for Xiao Xuan or because of the bloodline in his bones, the Xiao Clan was already connected to him, and it was impossible to sever it with a sword.
"I have been surnamed Xiao since birth, and I will never change it in this lifetime. Third Elder, please rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingyuan's cloudy eyes welled up with tears. After a long while, he breathed heavily and reached out to take out several jade bottles that exuded the fragrance of pills, and placed them into Xiao Yan's hand.
"Child, you've had a difficult journey traveling alone. There's nothing more I can do to help you, except for these pills. They're all seventh-grade, which I've refined in the past. Keep them for future use."
"I am deeply grateful for your kindness."
With a respectful greeting, Xiao Yan didn't hesitate much before putting the pills into his Storage Ring. Although he had already reached the Tier Seven Alchemist, he didn't have any seventh-level pills that he had actually refined himself. If he were to encounter any danger, these pills could at least be kept for his own survival.
After another round of polite exchanges, Xiao Yan no longer hesitated and flew towards the end of the sky, leaving Xiao Mingyuan to watch him go for a long time until his aura completely dissipated into the world.
"Alas... who knows how many years will pass since we parted!"
Xiao Mingyuan murmured to himself, his heart heavy.
On the other side, Xiao Yan soared through the air like lightning, the ground beneath his feet rushing backward at an incredible speed. Occasionally, towns would flash past below, and when people looked at him, it was as if they had seen a shooting star in broad daylight.
" The Fire Banyan Clan was once extremely powerful, ranking among the top forces in the Central Region. They resided for a long time in the Flowing Fire Plain of the southeast. Although only an empty shell remains now, it is still a place that ordinary people cannot easily set foot in."
Looking at the special fiery red region in the corner of the map, Xiao Yan muttered to himself, put the map away, and took out the Fire Banyan Token again. The heat emanating from it seemed to echo Xiao Yan's mood at this moment, and he smiled slightly.
"O Fire Banyan Clan of the past, I have arrived!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan, who was about to accelerate, suddenly stopped. His forward-moving body tensed up instantly, and almost reflexively, he pressed his palms hard into the void. As the void shattered beneath his palms, he stomped hard on the void and then retreated.
Who goes there!
Xiao Yan raised his head and roared angrily. In an instant, the surrounding world was enveloped by a surging tide of Spiritual Strength. Xiao Yan's body stopped, and the Origin Qi in his body surged outward without stopping. The moment the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his palm fell, it ignited into a raging fire. His face was as gloomy as it had ever been.
The strength of the newcomer has already surpassed Xiao Yan's understanding of all the powerful individuals he has ever encountered!
"Receive."
But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the trembling world. Immediately afterward, Xiao Yan was horrified to discover that the power surging out of his body was being suppressed back into his body uncontrollably. The raging strange Heavenly Flames burning on his body also dimmed after a struggle.
"Buzz!"
In an instant, Xiao Yan felt utterly terrified, but then a burst of golden light shone from the void in front of him, and streams of light intertwined. In just a few breaths, they actually condensed into a palm-sized golden disc. When Xiao Yan looked at it helplessly, what he saw was a Formation Plate covered with mysterious runes.
"Little one, take this with you. It might save your life if necessary."
A trembling, aged voice suddenly resounded in Xiao Yan's mind. Almost the instant he regained his senses, everything in the world returned to normal. All that remained in front of him was an Formation Plate radiating soft golden light and a giant ruler in his hand engulfed in raging flames. All the fear from the previous moment seemed as if it had never happened.
Xiao Yan stood there blankly for a long time, his heart churning with turbulent emotions that he could not calm down.
After a long while, she asked in a trembling voice, still shaken.
"May I ask who you are, esteemed senior?"
"A person surnamed Xiao."
As these words were spoken, in a distant city, an old man sitting cross-legged on a stone platform slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, an intense golden light shone, like a vast ocean.