Chapter 130: Preparing to Leave

"Hoo—"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xiao Zhan let out a long breath of lingering fear; he truly dared not imagine the consequences had that energy fluctuation spread to the entire Xiao Clan.

"Great-uncle is truly worthy of being the most gifted person in our Xiao Clan in these past five hundred years; even having reached such a profound realm, he breaks through whenever he pleases," Xiao Zhan exclaimed in wonder.

The further one goes in cultivation, the more difficult breakthroughs become; Xiao Zhan now felt no small amount of difficulty even at the Dou Zun stage, and every breakthrough left him exhausted to the point of death.

As for Dou Sheng...

Xiao Zhan dared not even think about it!

"I wonder how Great-uncle compares to that most outstanding ancestor of our Xiao Clan a thousand years ago?" A question suddenly popped into Xiao Zhan's mind.

That ancestor referred, of course, to Xiao Xuan, a peerless genius who reached the pinnacle of the continent in just a few hundred years.

Even after suffering a backlash and being severely wounded while breaking through to Dou Di, he was still able to rely on his remaining strength to kill four Eight-Star Dou Sheng and a large number of Saint Realm powerhouses below them under the siege of a crowd of Dou Sheng experts, and furthermore, severely wound the Soul Clan Clan Leader, who was at the late Nine-Star Dou Sheng stage.

When he first heard Xiao Han recount this "secret," Xiao Zhan felt his blood boil; he was truly worthy of being that brilliant and talented ancestor, an existence who had touched the Emperor Realm.

Thinking that Xiao Han's cultivation speed seemed no weaker than that ancestor's, a thought faintly emerged in Xiao Zhan's heart: "If Great-uncle reaches the same realm as that ancestor, even if the Xiao Clan returns to the Central Plains, there wouldn't be any crisis, right!"

The existence of a late Nine-Star Dou Sheng is enough to anchor a peak power; even if everyone else were trash, no one with eyes would dare to make a move.

For a moment, Xiao Zhan's heart was filled with mixed emotions. As the space gradually stabilized, Xiao Zhan and the others all departed one after another. The back mountain of the Xiao Clan was not some secret place, and with their large group huddled here, it was easy to attract attention.

Dozens of days later, the turbulence of time and space slowly ended, and a white-clothed figure quietly appeared in the back mountain of the Xiao Clan.

"Is this a blessing in disguise?" Xiao Han stretched his body, feeling his current cultivation—early Eight-Star; after a long period of suppression, he had broken through in one go.

A sense of heroism surged in Xiao Han's heart; with his strength and means, as long as a Nine-Star does not appear, who can contend with him!

"It is time to go back now!" Xiao Han thought of Langya Pavilion, which he had not returned to for ten years, and that beautiful figure he dreamed of; a relaxed smile curled the corners of his mouth.

"There shouldn't be any accidents now, right!" Suddenly, Xiao Han's eyes turned gloomy. "Demon Commander Gexiusi, I will catch you!"

That battle in the Sealed World was the most difficult fight Xiao Han had faced since becoming a Saint; as for the battles with the likes of Tianming Laoyao and the Great Heavenly Venerable, they were merely clearing out small fry.

The gap between a level-one mob and a level-fifty boss—whoever tries it knows!

In the end, he paid such a heavy price, yet still let that guy run away; it was simply a great humiliation!

"Great-uncle, are you returning to the Central Plains?" Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Han before him, saying with some reluctance, a trace of guilt faintly in his heart.

If it weren't for the younger generation being incompetent, a family elder and Dou Sheng bigwig like Xiao Han would not have to run back and forth between the Central Plains and the Northwest Continent.

"Alright, no need to look down on yourself." Xiao Han looked at Xiao Zhan's expression; how could he not know what the latter was thinking in his head.

He advised, "The current Xiao Clan is developing quite well. The decline of the clan is not the fault of you younger ones; as long as the clan is allowed to rise again, then everything is worth it."

"Yes." Xiao Zhan's expression turned serious, and he answered loudly.

"Alright, I'll go say goodbye to that little guy first." Before Xiao Han's voice had faded, his figure quietly disappeared into the space.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was facing a phantom figure, covered in wounds; watching the ruthlessness Xiao Yan showed toward himself, Yao Lao nodded in satisfaction.

"Kid, let's end today's training here."

"Okay, Teacher." Xiao Yan collapsed to the ground weakly, responding listlessly. However, those eyes remained bright and piercing, making Yao Lao sigh with emotion.

It must be said that in terms of perseverance alone, this little guy from the Xiao Clan was among the best of his peers. Perhaps unwilling to suffer the humiliation he endured for those three years again, Xiao Yan's cultivation was exceptionally desperate.

And the effect was naturally remarkable; in just half a year, he had jumped four stages of Dou Qi. While the Foundation Building Spiritual Liquid might have played a part, his own efforts were also indispensable.

When this strong, absolute perseverance is combined with his own terrifying talent... what kind of chemical reaction would it produce?

Xiao Yan did not even need body-tempering training to easily master the incredibly difficult Xuan-tier Advanced Dou Technique—"Eight Extremities Collapse."

Yao Lao was very surprised at Xiao Yan's physical strength; if it were just that, it would be one thing, but the latter had also comprehended the force-generating method of Eight Extremities Collapse without his guidance, and within a month, he was already able to stack seven layers of hidden force.

It must be said that this is a terrifying achievement, and of course, it is also the result of Xiao Han helping Xiao Yan improve during those three years. Under Xiao Han's guidance, the latter's learning of techniques could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds. This was also a place where things had changed.

"Someone is coming." Just as Yao Lao was about to continue saying something, his expression changed, and he suddenly dived into the Ring.

As soon as Xiao Yan, lying on the ground, opened his eyes, he saw a kind face.

"Ancestor!" Xiao Yan hurriedly got up; he didn't know where the strength came from, but his movements were quite swift.

"What, is training over?" Xiao Han said with a smile.

"Yes." Although Xiao Han's smile seemed a bit strange in Xiao Yan's eyes, the latter did not care; perhaps it was just an illusion.

"That Xiao Clan genius has returned again!" Xiao Han said as if with emotion.

"Heh~" Xiao Yan scratched his head, not knowing what medicine his ancestor was selling in his gourd.

"Ancestor is only here to bid you farewell, little guy." Seeing Xiao Yan's confusion, Xiao Han explained.

"Farewell?" Xiao Yan wondered; the ancestor had a full beard, yet he still wanted to run outside—with those old arms and legs, wasn't he afraid of something happening? Was their Xiao Clan's welfare that poor?

"There are some things you will eventually know." Xiao Han kept him in suspense, speaking in a mysterious manner.

For some reason, a sense of mischief welled up in Xiao Han's heart; he curled his lips and said, "Say hello to that person for me!"

"Ancestor... you... what do you mean by this?" Hearing Xiao Han point it out directly, Xiao Yan still wanted to put up a desperate resistance.

Xiao Han waved his hand with a smile, "Alright, although I don't know the name of that mysterious powerhouse, I can still tell from your abnormal behavior during this time."

"Don't think your actions are very hidden; at least your father and the others are equally clear about it."

"Then does the ancestor have nothing he wants to ask?" Xiao Yan quickly calmed down, knowing that Xiao Han would not be detrimental to him, and asked curiously.

Is the ancestor that reassured? Doesn't he even have a basic sense of curiosity?

"Ask what?" Xiao Han laughed, "These are all your own secrets; we old guys won't interfere, just like your so-called Three Year Agreement. You are almost an adult; you have your own sense of propriety, and there is no need to report everything to us."

"Then... thank you for the reminder, Ancestor." Xiao Yan felt his face flush; he had thought the secret was well-hidden, but in the eyes of others, it had nowhere to hide, which was truly uncomfortable.

"Kid, I hope that the next time we meet, you can surprise me!" Xiao Han's aged voice echoed in the air.