Chapter 319: The Xiao Clan

A gentle breeze stirred, and the air was warm and humid.

The clear sky was bright and beautiful, a scene of a rising sun, enough to gladden anyone's heart.

At this moment, in the vast sky, over a dozen young men and women of the Hongguang Xiao Clan were riding a treasure-light flying boat, laughing, drinking, and making merry; it was quite a lively scene.

Seeing the blue-shirted youth look up at the sky, he suddenly smiled, his expression inscrutable.

A tall man wearing a *chongzheng* cap couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. He scanned the youth a few times and asked,

"Xiao Liang, what is it? Has something happened?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the Xiao clan youths turned to look over.

Among them, a youth in a green silk shirt, who looked very much like Xiao Liang, ran over, tugged lightly on Xiao Liang's sleeve, and wore a look of confusion.

"Wait, I know. Is it because we are almost at the Xiao clan's ancestral lands? It doesn't matter. Although True Person Master Xuanzheng summoned us, he didn't mention your name."

The man in the *chongzheng* cap had already been three-tenths drunk.

At this moment, he sobered up quite a bit. He softened his tone and hurriedly tried to comfort him,

"It's no matter. You can just wait for us on this flying boat. We found a *yingmu* shell for True Person Master Xuanzheng, and since he needs this item, he will surely reward us heavily!

With this reward, your cultivation and Xiao Jing's cultivation can advance another step. If luck is on our side and we have a few more such good fortunes, it wouldn't be impossible for you to arrange a good marriage for Xiao Jing, perhaps with a daughter of a minor clan!"

This final joke made everyone on the flying boat chuckle, and they all chimed in with agreement.

This made the youth called Xiao Jing even more embarrassed, and he could only scratch his head and giggle foolishly.

This group of people on the flying boat, though surnamed Xiao, were the most distant of collateral branches.

Aside from this surname, they had no honors or favors, and they often had to toil and labor for their livelihood.

If one were to truly speak of it,

they were only slightly better off than rogue cultivators, possessing none of the dignity of a noble clan descendant.

The reason they had come to the Hongguang Xiao Clan's ancestral lands this time was because they had chanced upon a *yingmu* shell and were going to claim credit and ask for a reward, earning some talisman money to use for cultivation.

Such menial tasks for the Xiao clan members were, in reality, the main livelihood for these collateral branch descendants.

Although it didn't sound very pleasant to say, it wasn't easy to obtain, and they had to compete among themselves within the clan just to take on these errands.

Xiao Liang's father and grandfather had once been veterans in this trade, euphemistically called "external stewards," specializing in doing odd jobs and cleaning up messes for the true Xiao clan descendants.

However, Xiao Liang's father and grandfather later failed to clear the order of pouring wine, placing a stranger behind someone else. Just because of this, they were beaten to death on the spot by a youth from the Xiao clan's main line, and no words were left behind afterward.

Xiao Liang, who was still young at the time, witnessed this scene with his own eyes. Because of this tragedy, Xiao Liang had always harbored a sense of fear toward the Xiao clan's ancestral lands.

Although he had to work for the Xiao clan for the sake of his livelihood, he never dared to step even half a step into the Xiao clan's ancestral lands, fearing them like lions and tigers.

At this moment, after hearing the man's comfort, Xiao Liang shook his head and said indifferently,

"It's fine. I will go with you all this time."

"Go with us? This..."

Everyone on the flying boat was shocked to hear this, but upon second thought, Xiao Liang was ultimately going to work for the Xiao clan.

Being able to let go of his grudges at this time could be considered a good thing.

Although they were a bit surprised, they nodded in agreement and soon let the matter drop.

Only Xiao Liang's younger brother, Xiao Jing, felt something was slightly wrong at this moment, but he couldn't say exactly what was wrong. He could only scratch his head and ask cautiously,

"Brother, what is wrong with you? Are you hiding something from me?"

"Nothing."

Xiao Liang glanced at him, patted his shoulder gently, and said kindly,

"What could possibly be the matter?"

Soon, the flying boat approached a large island in the sea.

It rose three thousand *zhang* out of the water and was vast and boundless, like a small continent, leaving one tongue-tied.

Aside from the countless cities and settlements, there were thirty-six divine mountains on the island, which were extremely towering, as if reaching the clouds.

Looking down from the clouds, the mountains were arranged like a screen, the water wound like a belt, and the pavilions and waterside gazebos were as beautiful as brocade; it was truly a magnificent scene.

The people on the flying boat were clearly not here for the first time. After stopping to gaze and praise for a while, they greeted several mountain-moving and sea-covering strongmen on patrol, and then skillfully urged the flying boat to land at a golden temple in a lake.

As soon as they got off the flying boat, the group was welcomed into the golden temple by a boy at the gate.

The boy knew they were here for official business, so he changed his arrogant attitude from the past, sensibly served tea, and went inside to report.

Before long, an old Daoist priest, who looked to be about sixty years old, with white beard and long eyebrows, and cold, narrow eyes, walked out from inside.

He wore a purple robe with a gold belt, and his aura was imposing. As he walked, thunder and fire followed him, and his body was covered in layers of brilliant light, which was extremely dazzling and made one dare not look directly at him.

Everyone knew that this old Daoist was True Person Master Xuanzheng of the Xiao clan, and also the host of this trip.

Feeling nervous, they jumped up from their seats and bowed respectfully.

However, just as everyone was bowing,

only one person remained seated, merely examining the old Daoist with a look of curiosity on his face.

"You brat, how dare you! Seeing this True—"

True Person Master Xuanzheng's face sank when he saw this, but before he could flare up,

Xiao Liang suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, saying,

"I remember now. You look quite similar to Xiao Baozhen. Your name is Xiao Master Xuanzheng, and you have just achieved the Golden Core realm?

What relation are you to Xiao Baozhen? He should be your grandfather, right?"

True Person Master Xuanzheng was shocked by these words. He took a few steps back, and the anger in his eyes instantly turned into astonishment.

He frowned and scanned Xiao Liang a few times, but still couldn't detect anything unusual, so he couldn't help but be cautious:

"Who are you? How do you know my grandfather's name? What have you done to the original owner of this body? Why have you seized his shell to cause trouble in my Xiao clan!"

Xiao Liang shook his head and said,

"Your grandfather, Xiao Baozhen, was overestimating his own abilities back then. On the road when I was escaping from the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect, he actually conspired with several noble clan descendants to intercept and kill me. But how can mayflies shake a giant tree? I took one 'Five Emperors Great Demon Capture Hand' from me, and his bones were shattered and his shell was half-destroyed. Is he still alive today?

If he is alive, that can be considered an ability, and it can be used as a talking point for the future."

"Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect... escaping..."

These words hit True Person Master Xuanzheng like a thunderbolt, leaving his mind blank.

Recalling the slight anomaly he felt since seeing this person,

True Person Master Xuanzheng finally arrived at a name, and he retreated in horror, raising his sleeves, his fingers trembling as he pointed,

"It's you! It's you! Chen Yushu!"

"Since arriving on this island, I have already released my aura without any concealment. If you still couldn't find me, then the Xiao clan would truly be too fallen,"

Xiao Liang ignored him and looked out the window, talking to himself.

And the moment his voice fell, in the extreme sky, several thunderous roars suddenly erupted at the same time, shaking people's hearts and souls, unable to control themselves:

"Demon thief! Damn demon thief! How dare you come here again?!"

(End of chapter)