Chapter 322: Scheming Against the Soul Clan

After Xiao Han and the other person walked out of the temporarily constructed space, they were astonished to find several expressions of disbelief converging upon them.

For the Xiao Clan Members of that time, they were extremely surprised that anyone could trade blows with Xiao Xuan to that extent, while Yi Huang was taken aback by Xiao Han's defeat; in her impression, the latter's combat power was nearly invincible, rarely meeting an opponent who could withstand a single blow from him among his peers, yet now he had actually lost.

"Ancestors, Huang'er, you may continue for now," Xiao Han instructed.

"I have important matters to discuss with the Ancestor."

"Understood." The group did not object; having witnessed that thrilling battle between Xiao Xuan and the other, they likewise held high expectations for recovering their physical bodies.

………

"I wonder if the Ancestor is satisfied with this Langya Pavilion of your junior?" Xiao Han brought Xiao Xuan to tour the entire sect without alerting the experts of Langya Pavilion.

That proud appearance seemed as if he were trying to redeem himself before the Ancestor after his defeat.

Although Xiao Xuan perceived Xiao Han's intent, he still evaluated it fairly:

"Very good!"

Whether in the number of experts, the talent of the Disciples, or the various cultivation resources, Langya Pavilion was in the top tier; although it could not compare to the Ancient Races with their long-standing heritage, it was not far behind.

Regarding this, Xiao Xuan was even more amazed; his descendant's ability to manage a force was quite something—to build a force to this level was not something just anyone could achieve.

"I wonder if the Ancestor intends to remain in the Central Plains, or live in seclusion at the Xiao Clan in the Northwest Continent?" Xiao Han asked.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan fell into deep thought for a moment, but gave an answer after several minutes, "We shall return to the Xiao Clan."

Xiao Xuan had thought it through clearly; with Xiao Han and Langya Pavilion in the Central Plains, there was absolutely no need for old fellows like them to interfere.

Returning to the Xiao Clan in the Northwest Continent would allow them to be of greater help. This did not just refer to guiding cultivation; the vast amount of Xiao Clan Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques stored in the minds of these Xiao Clan Ancestors were a massive treasure for their descendants—how could they abandon them unused?

Moreover, they could protect the Xiao Clan at any time, which might currently be targeted by the Soul Clan; it was truly killing three birds with one stone.

Xiao Han had anticipated this, nodding slightly as he handed a jade slip to Xiao Xuan, who accepted it with a puzzled look and immediately began receiving the contents within.

In less than half a minute, Xiao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, his face flushed, staring straight at Xiao Han with a trembling voice:

"Are... are these true?"

The contents of the jade slip were nothing else but the various preparations Xiao Han had made over these years, including the support forces they could find once war broke out with the Soul Clan.

Not just Langya Pavilion, the Xiao Clan, and the Heavenly Mansion, but also the Shadow Prison forces already half-controlled by Xiao Wuye, Sound Valley, the Puppet Saint Jiang Yu of the Wan Kui Sect who could erupt with Eight-Star strength, the Tianman Sect located in the wilderness, and even Zhu Kun who guarded the gate at the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, along with the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan behind him, were all included.

Combined, these forces already surpassed the Ancient Clan, and even the Xiao Clan in its heyday was slightly inferior.

After learning this information, it was only due to Xiao Xuan's profound self-control that he did not lose his mind on the spot.

"I truly did not expect that the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion had already been found by my Xiao Clan!"

A smile that could not be stopped played on the corners of Xiao Xuan's mouth; back in the day, he, Xiao Xuan, had fought tooth and nail with the Xiao Clan, only to briefly obtain the complete Tuoshe Ancient God Jade for a moment, and in the end, he had to throw it away, knowing nothing of the location of that Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion.

Now that it had been discovered inadvertently by a descendant of the Xiao Clan, it made Xiao Xuan believe all the more that Heaven favored the Xiao Clan!

"So, we must find ways to collect the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade?" Xiao Xuan frowned.

From the information in the jade slip just now, Xiao Xuan already knew that the Tuoshe Gudi Dongfu could only be opened by the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade.

As for the consequences of forcing it open, that Taixu Ancient Dragon Dragon Emperor who had been pitted so miserably served as a warning to Xiao Xuan; the strength his descendant had worked so hard to consolidate must not be squandered!

But Xiao Xuan did not hold much hope for the collection of the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade.

He had once been a Clan Leader of an Ancient Race and knew deeply that this Tuoshe Ancient God Jade was the very lifeblood of the major Ancient Races; it was fundamentally impossible to collect them all unless one possessed the power to oppose the combined strength of all other Ancient Races.

But then again, if they truly had that ability, they would not be hiding in the shadows now.

Seeing Xiao Xuan's dilemma, Xiao Han smiled: "Ancestor, we do not need to collect the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade ourselves..."

Xiao Xuan seemed to sense something, "You mean to let other races take the blame..."

"However..." Just as Xiao Xuan was about to question him, Xiao Han provided another jade slip.

After browsing it, Xiao Xuan slammed the jade slip down, gritting his teeth: "Soul Clan!"

The content of the jade slip was nothing else but the inside story of the Ling Clan being annihilated by the Soul Clan, which made Xiao Xuan subconsciously associate it with the tragedy of the Xiao Clan back then.

"I ask the Ancestor to remain calm!" Xiao Han spoke up to dissuade him.

"Understood." Xiao Xuan first closed his eyes, and after opening them again, cold light shone in them, though his emotions had stabilized significantly.

"Is the Soul Clan preparing to collect the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade to open the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion?"

Although it was a question, Xiao Xuan's demeanor indicated that this was a conclusion.

But he soon frowned: "However, the Ancient, Lei, and Yan clans are powerful; the Soul Clan should not possess the ability to forcibly seize their Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, right?"

Xiao Xuan was indeed worthy of being the former Xiao Clan Clan Leader; he saw the key to the matter at a glance.

The Shi and Yao clans had average strength and were not to be feared, but the Ancient, Lei, and Yan clans were all in their prime; even if the Soul Clan wanted to break in and seize them by force, it would not be an easy task.

Not to mention, if the Soul Clan's plan had even the slightest flaw and their existence was leaked prematurely, the other forces would unite and might even push back against the Soul Clan.

Xiao Xuan did not believe Hun Tiandi would commit such a folly.

"If it were by ordinary methods, it would naturally be impossible," Xiao Han said calmly:

"But what if they sent in a mole?"

Subsequently, Xiao Han detailed the intelligence regarding the defection of a Dou Saint Elder from the Ling Clan to Xiao Xuan.

Finally, Xiao Han said: "Ancestor, although we do not know how the Soul Clan turned a Dou Saint expert, who represents the foundation of a race, into a mole."

"But if there is a first time, there will be a second; we can infer that there is a very high possibility that other races also have moles at the Dou Saint level."

Xiao Xuan nodded solemnly, agreeing: "That makes sense!"

Just as Xiao Han said, as long as there is one precedent for such a thing, others will naturally follow.

"The Soul Clan is truly terrifying!"

With the possibility that even a Dou Saint could be turned into a mole, one could imagine how brilliant the Soul Clan's methods were.

Upon second thought, Xiao Xuan smiled silently; the Soul Clan's plan, which should have been seamless, had inexplicably fallen into the hands of his Xiao Clan. Thinking of this, his mood suddenly became refreshed.

There was no need for Xiao Han to say more; Xiao Xuan logically inferred the general plan of the Soul Clan.

Since the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade was generally enshrined in the Ancestral Worship Hall by the Ancient Races, guarded by numerous experts.

One only needed to turn one of the Dou Saint Elders into "one of their own," and when the time was right, steal the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade and hand it over to the Soul Clan experts waiting to receive it; the pursuers would only be left eating dust.

In the eyes of Xiao Xuan, this operation was highly feasible and had an extremely high success rate.

"So, Ancestor, can we help the Soul Clan out?" Xiao Han's smile was so gentle, yet it made Xiao Xuan's hair stand on end; he gained a clear understanding of just how black-hearted this descendant was.

Having understood the full picture of the matter, Xiao Xuan was very clear that even if Hun Tiandi obtained the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, there was not much possibility of him obtaining the items inside the cave dwelling.

Moreover, the actions of the Soul Clan would certainly provoke public anger and draw the joint encirclement and suppression of the other Ancient Races.

By then, they would only need to give a gentle push from behind, and everything would become the Soul Clan's burden to bear; they wouldn't even harbor any suspicion themselves—a classic case of being sold and still helping to count the money.

Although it might cause losses to the other Ancient Races, so what? They held the advantage of information asymmetry, and there was not much morality to speak of between the Ancient Races anyway.

"We shall do as you say!" Xiao Xuan agreed to Xiao Han's plan with a chuckle; being able to achieve the greatest battle results while paying the smallest price, why wouldn't he do it!