Chapter 2: The Ancient Clan

The scorching sun shone down upon the cliff, and the breeze blowing toward them stirred the young girl's three thousand strands of dark hair; her skirt fluttered, and a fragrance filled the air. Beautiful, moving.

At this moment, the young girl was knitting her brows, looking at the youth beside her: "Brother Xiao Yan, have you truly decided?"

At the peak of the cliff, beside the young girl, a slender figure in green robes stood against the wind, his eyes revealing a tenacity that did not belong to his age.

"Mm, I've decided. Xun'er, let's begin." The calm, composed words were spoken by Xiao Yan; clearly, his resolve was set.

Seeing this, Xun'er no longer hesitated. A flash of light emanated from the storage ring on her slender finger, and a jade pendant, radiating a mysterious luster and engraved with archaic characters never seen before, appeared in her hand. Although he had never seen these characters, Xiao Yan inexplicably recognized this one: it was the character for "Gu"!

As Xun'er injected Fighting Energy into the jade pendant, the light upon it suddenly flared brilliantly. A ripple that Xiao Yan could not perceive spread rapidly, traveling at a speed beyond the imagination of ordinary people out of Wutan City, out of the Jia Ma Empire, out of the northwest corner of the continent, and finally submerging into a mysterious realm.

"Young Miss." An aged voice suddenly sounded, and a figure suddenly emerged from the trees behind the two. The figure walked behind Xun'er and bowed respectfully, but his gaze fell upon Xiao Yan, and the aura belonging to a Dou Huang-level powerhouse pressed down on Xiao Yan without reservation, rendering him unable to move.

Even as Xun'er's guard, he would not watch her every single hour of the day, so the newcomer did not know what had happened. He only knew that someone who should not have appeared had appeared while Young Miss Xun'er was contacting the clan.

"Elder Ling! Stop!" Xun'er's somewhat angry voice rang out.

"But, Young Miss..."

"I said stop!" Xun'er's voice became somewhat cold.

Hearing this, Elder Ling had no choice but to withdraw his suppression of Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan, who had been trying his best to resist, felt the pressure vanish abruptly; for a moment, he felt somewhat drained, and his body tilted to one side involuntarily.

Seeing this, Xun'er hurried over to support Xiao Yan, looking with some heartache at his face, which was drenched in sweat within just a few breaths.

"Elder Ling, how could you do this! Do you know..."

"Don't say any more, Xun'er." Xiao Yan stopped Xun'er, who still wanted to continue reprimanding him. "This senior just now already showed mercy; otherwise, it would be impossible for me to be standing here intact."

Seeing that Xiao Yan, the party involved, did not continue to pursue the matter, and that nothing had truly gone wrong, Xun'er did not continue to press the issue, but still said: "Elder Ling, do you know that Brother Xiao Yan intends to gift the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade to our Gu Clan today! How could you treat our Gu Clan's benefactor like this! You must apologize to Brother Xiao Yan!"

"What! The Tuoshe Ancient God Jade!" Elder Ling said in shock. He did not question the truth of the matter, because he believed Xiao Yan did not have the guts or the ability to deceive the Gu Clan. He was merely surprised that the Ancient God Jade, sought for so many years, would come into the hands of the Gu Clan in such a form.

"No need, Xun'er. The senior didn't do anything wrong; he was just fulfilling his duty," Xiao Yan continued to comfort her. He dared not let the other party apologize; otherwise, if he were to be held in resentment, it would not be pleasant even with Xun'er protecting him—after all, there is no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days. However, he, Xiao Yan, noted this debt down; sooner or later, he would collect it.

"Hmph!"

The small disturbance passed, and the three of them soon put it behind them, waiting for the arrival of the Gu Clan's escorting powerhouse.

Time flew by, and half an hour passed in a flash.

Suddenly, a black figure appeared out of thin air in the previously clear, cloudless sky. The aura was obscure; if not for seeing it with one's own eyes, one might even doubt whether such a person truly existed. The newcomer was a Dou Sheng-level elder of the Gu Clan.

The Gu Clan elder stepped through the void, his eyes sweeping over Xun'er and Xiao Yan below, and with a wave of his large hand, the surrounding space rolled and folded, and the three of them vanished from the spot. As for Elder Ling, a mere Dou Huang, he was not worthy of being carried by a Dou Sheng.

The moment Xiao Yan and Xun'er were swept into the space tunnel, their vision suddenly went black, and their entire bodies felt a sense of weightlessness. However, this feeling of weightlessness quickly vanished, and immediately, a strange void tunnel appeared in their field of vision.

A dark silver torrent of the void carried multicolored mysterious light spots as it spiraled backward; the end of their vision was a pitch-black color, and they did not know where it would lead.

Time ticked away second by second. Suddenly, a touch of white light appeared before their eyes, rapidly magnifying and quickly occupying their entire field of vision.

The white light dissipated, and a vast world appeared before Xiao Yan's eyes: the sky was like jade, clouds floated, mountains rose in succession, and rivers flowed gently. In this beautiful world, dense heaven and earth energy condensed into a thin mist, emitting seven-colored light.

"Is this the Gu Clan? It is worthy of being a world opened up by a Dou Di powerhouse." Feeling the restless cultivation within his body, Xiao Yan could not help but let a trace of envy flash across his face.

"Let's go, the Patriarch is already waiting for you," the Gu Clan Dou Sheng said.

Space surged once more, and the scenery changed accordingly. When the scene fixed itself again, a courtyard resembling the gardens of Jiangnan from his previous life appeared before them.

"Patriarch, Young Miss Xun'er and the boy from the Xiao family have been brought here," the Gu Clan Dou Sheng said, walking to the front of the courtyard and bowing respectfully.

No reply was heard, but the courtyard gate opened automatically.

"Yes," the Gu Clan Dou Sheng suddenly replied. "Boy from the Xiao family, the Patriarch wants you to go in alone."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan was somewhat startled, and Xun'er cast a worried look his way.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan calmed his thoughts, gave Xun'er a reassuring look, and then strode into the courtyard.

Entering the courtyard gate, he passed through winding corridors and arrived directly at a bamboo forest behind the courtyard. Deep in the bamboo forest was a stone table, and sitting by the stone table was a middle-aged man dressed in ordinary clothing.

This person was Xun'er's father, the Patriarch of the Gu Clan, the supreme powerhouse of the Dou Qi Continent—Gu Yuan.

Xiao Yan walked over with legs that were somewhat stiff from nervousness and bowed respectfully: "This junior, Xiao Yan, pays respects to Patriarch Gu Yuan."

By the stone table, Gu Yuan looked at the youth before him. He had only the cultivation of a Dou Zhe, his appearance could not be called world-shaking, and his Dou Di bloodline was as good as non-existent. He could not help but sigh: "After the Xiao Clan was defeated in that battle a thousand years ago, I thought many times about the scene of seeing someone from the Xiao Clan again, but I did not expect it to be like this. A Dou Zhe has actually walked before me. Boy of the Xiao Clan, are you not afraid?"

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned; he had not expected Gu Yuan's first sentence to be like this. He replied: "Of course I am afraid. Patriarch Gu Yuan is indeed the supreme powerhouse of the world, but to this junior, it is not much different from meeting a Dou Huang. Thinking of it this way, I am not as afraid."

"A Dou Huang?" Gu Yuan was somewhat surprised. "In all these years, this is the first time someone has described me this way. Why do you think so?"

"Because whether it is a Dou Huang or a Dou Sheng, they can easily annihilate our Xiao family," Xiao Yan answered.

Xiao Yan's answer was somewhat playful, yet it made Gu Yuan feel a trace of desolation. Is the present day of the Xiao Clan not the tomorrow of these ancient Emperor Clans?

Xiao Yan naturally did not know Gu Yuan's inner thoughts, but looking at the silent Gu Yuan, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up, secretly proud of the plan's success.

For this conversation, which would greatly determine the fate of his life, how could Xiao Yan not have made any preparations!

However, Xiao Yan's pride did not last long.

"So, is this little bit of cleverness your reliance?" A calm voice sounded, and Xiao Yan saw that Gu Yuan was staring tightly at him, his pitch-black eyes seeming to see through his entire mind.

Xiao Yan trembled all over; since his transmigration and rebirth, fear had climbed into his heart for the first time.

Only then did he remember that the person before him was not some kind uncle, but a terrifying powerhouse who could dominate his fate!