Chapter 79: Returning

"Xun Er, has some major event occurred?" Having recovered from his injuries, Xiao Yan finally walked out of his room, once again completely unscathed.

In this situation, Xiao Yan could not help but want to shout: "I, Xiao Hansan, have returned!"

Seeing the Xiao Clan members hurrying back and forth around him and that lively atmosphere, his inner curiosity suddenly erupted.

For the past month, Xiao Yan had been lying in bed recovering from his injuries and knew nothing of the changes in the outside world.

"Ah, Brother Xiao Yan!" Seeing Xiao Yan looking so lively, Xun Er appeared a bit excited and ran toward him with light steps.

However, seeing Xun Er's movement, Xiao Yan subconsciously took a step back, causing her to pout her little mouth, on the verge of tears.

"Xun Er, I'm sorry, Brother Xiao Yan's injuries haven't fully healed yet!" Xiao Yan hurriedly comforted her; seeing the pitiful Xun Er, his first reaction was not pity, but fear.

Oh no, if Mother finds out Xun Er is crying, won't I be done for again! Thinking this, Xiao Yan's body couldn't help but shiver, and the wounds on his body still throbbed with pain.

"Really?"

"It's true!" Hearing Xiao Yan's sophistry, Xun Er broke into a smile through her tears. With a wipe of her small hand, the tears vanished instantly, leaving Xiao Yan exclaiming that he couldn't understand it.

Afterward, Xun Er began to explain the reason: "I heard from Uncle that the Xiao Clan's clan assembly seems to be starting. The scale of this clan assembly is very grand; many Xiao Clan elders who have been away will be returning!"

Oh, how did I not know there was such a grand event! Xiao Yan felt suspicious in his heart.

Xiao Yan was very clear that many Xiao Clan elders were often not at home; after all, the empty scene at the Xiao Clan's base could definitely not be hidden from anyone.

However, it was just a clan assembly; Xun Er might not know since she had just arrived, but he was very clear about it in his heart.

The Xiao Clan held a clan assembly every year, almost together with the coming-of-age ceremony, but in the past, they had never made such a big fuss.

"Then shall we go and take a look?" Xiao Yan suggested.

"Mm, Xun Er will listen to Brother Xiao Yan." Still nodding cutely, Xiao Yan, standing to the side, saw this and almost couldn't help but reach out his dog paws to rub Xun Er's little head again.

"Slap!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but slap his own misbehaving hand.

"Hmm?" Xun Er's big eyes blinked, full of confusion. That cute appearance once again struck Xiao Yan's heart.

Central Plains, Langya Pavilion.

At this time, the Langya Pavilion Disciples responsible for guarding the secret realm had already been transferred away, replaced by another group of people.

Numerous Xiao Clan members exuded different auras—some gentle and elegant, some cold and murderous, or others bloody and violent, and so on.

Noticing certain figures who would never come again, Xiao Han was silent for a moment.

"Is everyone here?" Hearing this, some people subconsciously looked around for familiar figures, and others touched the Storage Rings in their hands with low spirits.

"Everyone is here!" However, the final answer was still just as uniform.

"Then... let's set off!" Xiao Han nodded as if nothing had happened.

"Huang'er, I will go a step ahead." Xiao Han said gently to Yi Huang.

"Mm." Yi Huang also felt the low spirits of the Xiao Clan members at this time, and her tone was much lower; after all, some people would never return.

Xiao Clan back mountain, Xiao Zhan and several Elders were anxiously waiting here.

"Great Elder, quickly look at my appearance, how is it? Is it messy?" Xiao Zhan was looking around nervously, pulling the Great Elder and asking anxiously.

"Oh my, my dear Clan Leader." Regarding Xiao Zhan's nervousness, the Great Elder was already a bit impatient; day after day, he had asked eight times in one hour, wasn't that enough?

"Your appearance is already quite good, you haven't embarrassed our Xiao Clan, isn't that enough?"

"That's good," Xiao Zhan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was not that Xiao Zhan's mental fortitude was poor, but that today was the day those Xiao Clan members who left ten years ago were returning.

Those people were originally the batch of clansmen with the best talent in the Xiao Clan; even if they had stayed in the Xiao Clan and cultivated step-by-step, there would have been no problems.

However, for the sake of the Xiao Clan's future, they all decisively left the shallow waters of the Northwest Continent and rushed to the deep sea of the Central Plains, paying a huge price.

As such, as the Clan Leader, how could he not present his best state to welcome this group of respectable Xiao Clan members?

Finally, with the keen perception of Xiao Zhan's Dou Zun strength, a fluctuation came from above the void, and before he could show joy, a team of over seventy people appeared before his eyes.

Over seventy people?!

Seeing the man in white at the very front, Xiao Zhan walked up quickly and asked with an expectant face: "Uncle-Grandmaster, were the others delayed by something?"

Xiao Zhan was muttering in his heart, hoping it wouldn't be what he thought, that they must have been delayed. But the anxiety on his face could not be hidden at all.

Xiao Han did not speak, only turned his head to signal to the team. Immediately, dozens of Xiao Clan members stepped forward, each taking an ordinary black wooden box from their Storage Rings, holding them with both hands, and standing solemnly.

At this, Xiao Zhan could no longer deceive himself, and the several Xiao Clan Elders following behind also showed expressions of grief.

"How many clansmen did we actually lose?" Xiao Zhan asked, his voice choking.

It had only been ten years, and so many people had visibly disappeared; what would happen in the long time to come? What should be done then?

Moreover, these clansmen sacrificed themselves for the Xiao Clan; how could he, the Clan Leader who stayed behind them, bear this?

This time, Xiao Han answered directly, his tone calm: "Nineteen people. Xiao Ying, Xiao Yun, Xiao Mie, Xiao Jie..."

Just like that, Xiao Han reported the names of all the fallen Xiao Clan members one by one. As the names appeared one by one, Xiao Han's voice became increasingly low.

Among these people, there were Emperors and Warriors; some were lone individuals, while more had parents still living and children of their own; some were rogue cultivators wandering the Central Plains, others were guards of the Southern Region City Guard.

No matter where they were, what strength they had, or what status they held, they all had one common name—Xiao Clan member.

"Uncle-Grandmaster, I understand. The Xiao Clan will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes." The thought of giving up flashed through his mind, then was cast to the ends of the earth. Now that things had come to this, how could he speak of giving up lightly? Xiao Zhan said with a resolute tone.

"The funeral arrangements for these warriors who sacrificed for the Xiao Clan must be handled properly. As for the news, it should be kept hidden for a while." Xiao Zhan made up his mind.

"Then shall we go attend the clan assembly?" Xiao Zhan sought the opinions of the group. The Xiao Clan members naturally had no objections; they were already homesick, and now they could just happen to see how the Xiao Clan was developing today.

But Xiao Han refused: "It is not suitable for me to show my face now, so I will not go."

Regarding this, the others had no objections. Although Xiao Han had brought huge changes to the Xiao Clan, many adult clansmen knew that the Xiao Clan had a powerful Ancestor.

However, most had only heard his name but never seen the person. The group of minors under sixteen didn't even know of the existence of the Ancestor.

"Good, then let everyone see the changes in my Xiao Clan over these many years, as well as the outstanding younger generation of my Xiao Clan." Xiao Zhan said heroically. He was indeed quite confident in the Xiao Clan's development over these years; at least he was certain there were successors.

He would just use the clan assembly to show it off and put everyone's mind at ease.