Chapter 153: The Ling Clan's Way Out

"I would like to know why you have such concerns," Xiao Han asked, staring fixedly at Ling Yuexian.

"Or rather, what exactly led you to speculate that other Ancient Races are planning to make a move against your Ling Clan?"

Although Xiao Han was asking a question, he couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart. Ling Yuexian truly had some tricks up her sleeve, to be able to discover so many years in advance that someone was planning to move against the Ling Clan.

After the Ling Clan was wiped out, the world believed this event had no warning signs. And Xiao Han had also assumed the Ling Clan had simply walked into a dead end without realizing it.

Never did he expect that this Ling Clan Chief, who seemed to have no hope of turning the tide, could actually perceive the crisis hidden in the shadows, and have such great courage to bring an outsider powerhouse into the fold.

And she wasn't even worried about being taken advantage of!

Furthermore, the hardest part was not discovering the clues, but believing the truth of the matter.

And Ling Yuexian was clearly a clear-headed Clan Chief who never harbored wishful thinking. This was something even Xiao Han would find difficult to achieve.

If he hadn't known from the original story that the Soul Clan would be the first to annihilate the Ling Clan in ten years, he probably wouldn't have dared to believe such an outcome.

An Ancient Race, actually wiped out just like that!

"Other Ancient Races?" Ling Yi and Ling Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

"Pavilion Master Su is indeed sharp, but please forgive this old woman for being unable to disclose that," Ling Yuexian said with an apologetic tone.

"Please, do as you wish," Xiao Han said nonchalantly; he had made up his mind that he absolutely must not show his face before the Soul Clan until the later stages.

The Five-Star Dou Sheng level strength he currently displayed was already powerful enough; after all, for an outside rogue cultivator like him, there was still the Shennong Elder, and the Pill Tower had an even stronger Ancestor.

However, if his strength were any stronger, he reckoned the Soul Clan wouldn't even need to act personally; the other Ancient Races would keep him under tight surveillance.

After all, his personality was not like those other two powerhouses in the Central Plains who were indifferent to worldly affairs. The identity and personality of the Ice Saint destined him to be a destabilizing factor outside of the Ancient Races.

Xiao Han's principle was to keep a low profile whenever possible, drag things out to the late game, and wait until the Soul Clan became the enemy of the entire world before popping out to stab them.

Eight-Star Dou Sheng? No, no, no, I am just a plain and unremarkable Five-Star!

"Then, as Pavilion Master Su said, I hope you can keep your promise and preserve the bloodline of my Ling Clan. I beg you!" As soon as she finished speaking, Ling Yuexian bowed deeply to Xiao Han in a grand gesture.

"Why don't you go and seek help from the other Ancient Races?" Xiao Han asked.

"Seek help?" Ling Yuexian said with self-mockery: "How? Should I say outright that an Ancient Race is plotting to annihilate the Ling Clan, and then request an alliance to seek protection?"

"Or perhaps, ask the other Ancient Races to help look after the Ling Clan's bloodline?"

The relationships between the Ancient Races were not that harmonious. If news of the Ling Clan got out, no one would believe it; instead, it would accelerate the crisis of her Ling Clan's destruction.

Sacrificing herself to give others a warning—Ling Yuexian did not have such a magnanimous heart.

As for requesting other Ancient Races to help protect a few survivors of the Ling Clan...

Heh~

The Xiao Clan of the past was a cautionary tale!

The Clan Leaders of the Ancient Xiao Clan had a very close personal friendship, and furthermore, after the Xiao Clan perished, the Ancient Clan was the Ancient Race that enjoyed the most of the Xiao Clan's legacy; the speed at which they snatched the benefits caught the other Ancient Races off guard.

And the culprit that led to the Xiao Clan's destruction, the Soul Clan, only ended up grabbing some scraps.

The Ancient Clan took care of the Xiao Clan, and as they took care of them... they just disappeared.

Now, one cannot even hear news of the Xiao Clan in the Central Plains.

And although the Ling Clan's bloodline had begun to decline, it was still a sweet pastry in the eyes of many Ancient Races; for them, having one more Dou Di Bloodline was not a bad thing.

If one sought their protection, it would likely just lead to the descendants of the Ling Clan becoming breeding machines and bones fought over by them.

On the contrary, a genius like the Ice Saint who could suppress an era—this kind of powerhouse would only believe in himself, rather than the so-called Dou Di Bloodline.

And he would certainly not develop any covetous heart toward the Ling Clan's increasingly thin bloodline.

With sufficient strength and a reliable personality, Langya Pavilion was perhaps the only force qualified to protect the remaining bloodline of the Ling Clan.

However...

"Is the Ice Saint not worried that news of the Ling Clan descendants leaking out would bring unnecessary trouble?"

Xiao Han smiled, yet not quite, "Is Clan Leader Ling worried that this Saint will eventually be unable to handle the subsequent trouble and throw the Ling Clan descendants out?"

Ling Yuexian did not evade, but quietly looked straight into Xiao Han's eyes.

With the continuation of the Ling Clan at stake, Ling Yuexian had to confirm every detail to ensure that the final spark of the Ling Clan would not be extinguished.

Cutting weeds and eliminating the roots was the common rule of the continent. Over these past thousand years, even though the Xiao Clan had vanished from the Central Plains, the Soul Clan had never given up on hunting them down.

If that race were to learn the news that members of the Ling Clan were at Langya Pavilion, they wouldn't need to launch a massive attack at all; they would only need to manipulate things slightly to bring pressure from all the Ancient Races.

Facing that kind of pressure, Ling Yuexian did not have much confidence in Xiao Han.

"Has Clan Leader Ling overlooked a problem?" Just as the atmosphere between the two sides grew increasingly heavy, Xiao Han suddenly asked with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think the other party would really let outsiders know the true culprit behind the annihilation of the Ling Clan?"

"Many thanks to Pavilion Master Su for the clarification. The cooperation between the Ling Clan and Langya Pavilion will be handled by Ling Yi and your esteemed pavilion. To show our sincerity, our Ling Clan will have several talented juniors join Langya Pavilion."

After a long while, Ling Yuexian suddenly stood up and said.

Xiao Han's words had completely awakened her. When you don't even know who your enemy is, how can you even talk about revenge?

Since that was the case, what would it matter if the few remaining remnants of the Ling Clan who had not yet grown up were released into the wild?

One must know, there were no lack of rumors on the continent about bold people with high skills raising the children of their enemies; as long as the truth was not revealed, everything would remain hidden beneath the surface.

The other party would not risk exposure to forcibly cut the weeds and eliminate the roots.

Under this premise, the Ling Clan only needed to send the excellent, but not the most excellent, juniors they had selected to Langya Pavilion.

At that time, even if the Ling Clan were truly annihilated, the other party could protect them with justification and in the open. All troubles would be solved easily.

"Pavilion Master Su, may I ask if Langya Pavilion could take in this girl, Ling Yi?" After glancing at Ling Yi, who had a sorrowful expression, Ling Yuexian gritted her teeth and said.

"Impossible!" Xiao Han refused righteously.

"Ling Clan Dou Shengs cannot be allowed to survive. I think you, Clan Leader Ling, are very clear on this point."

The other party might not care about the life or death of a few or even a dozen Dou Zuns, but for powerhouses at the level of Dou Sheng, each one would cause a great deal of trouble.

Furthermore, at this stage, it is estimated that all the Dou Sheng of the Ling Clan are being watched closely; if Ling Yi leaves abnormally, it is highly likely that in the end, it will truly drag Langya Pavilion into the vortex as well.

Although Xiao Han is willing to give the Ling Clan a hand, this does not mean that Xiao Han is not afraid of death.

"Very well, it was this old woman who was abrupt." Ling Yuexian also realized that the Dou Sheng experts of the Ling Clan can only die, not live.

Her previous irrational act was simply because she was unwilling to see such a talented junior as Ling Yi fall just like that.

In the increasingly declining Ling Clan, Ling Yi is the only genius who has cultivated to a Three-Star Dou Sheng at the age of around two hundred.

Yet, now she must perish along with the destruction of the Ling Clan; who else knows the pain in her heart?