#727 - Invincible, but alone
“So, you are the Xiao Gate?” A look of horror flashed in the Soul Emperor's eyes. He hadn't expected such an existence to be lurking on the Douqi Continent, secretly influencing the development of the situation.
Even with his current perspective, the spiritual pollution left behind in that soul cluster still felt incredibly vast and awe-inspiring, inspiring fear.
As if thinking of something pleasant, Amon's smile deepened.
“What do you think? I'll take you to the Great Thousand World to experience a broader world… Aren't you yearning for the realm above Dou Di? Don't you want to glimpse the power of a true master?”
The Soul Emperor agreed without much hesitation: “I don't have much of a choice now, do I?… Tell me, what do you need me to do? Open my mind and let you plant a mark?”
Amon shook his head: “No need. I don't need to control you with such petty tricks. Once you reach the Great Thousand, you will gravitate towards me naturally due to the situation there.
“Besides, I don't intend to have you do anything too difficult or against your interests. Just cooperate with me on some insignificant matters.”
He stretched out his right hand, curling three fingers and slightly separating his index finger and thumb, making a gesture indicating something subtle.
The Soul Emperor's eyes flickered; he didn't believe it would be as simple as the other party said.
Amon clapped his hands and said softly: “Come with me, the Great Thousand World is more vast and wonderful than you can imagine.”
The monocle on his eye shone brightly. Starlight twinkled as a door radiating a mysterious aura slowly opened.
Amon stepped into the light gate, and the Soul Emperor followed closely behind without hesitation.
The moment they left, Xiao Yan seemed to sense something and looked towards the Different Flame Square.
“Did Teacher do that…? It seems he possesses special abilities regarding 'sealing',” Xiao Yan murmured softly.
…
The war revolving around the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave Dwelling came to an end, with the Xiao Clan emerging as the ultimate victor.
The entire Central State was being rebuilt.
Although Central State suffered heavy casualties, it was still the region with the most abundant Heaven and Earth energy on the entire Douqi Continent.
Forces from the peripheral areas that were not strong enough to develop in Central State didn't need to be reminded; they spontaneously began to migrate towards Central State.
It was foreseeable that this desolate land would soon be revitalized.
After confirming that the Xiao Clan had no intention of making things difficult for them, the Gu Clan, led by Gu Yuan, returned to the Gu Realm.
However, their strength should not be underestimated. The survivors were the elites of the Soul Clan, and with the Soul Emperor becoming an Emperor and the power of their bloodline increasing, their overall strength could recover to its previous level before long.
…
Inside the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan caressed Xun'er's coffin, his expression desolate.
“Xiao Yan-gege, I believe you will definitely regain your dignity and glory…”
“Xiao Yan-gege, Xun'er believes in you. Under your leadership, the Xiao Clan will surely recreate the glory of a thousand years ago.”
“When are you going to beat up my dad? Beat him, and then snatch me away in front of the entire clan…”
Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes…
At this moment, he was invincible in the world, but what was the use?
The people who were with him in the past would never return…
Little Fairy Doctor, Xiao Meng, Xun'er…
Xiao Yan's mind was in a daze, and he seemed to see Xun'er's illusion. She was still so beautiful, wearing a purple dress, her lively eyes looking at him with a smile on her face.
He wanted to reach out and touch her, but there was nothing in front of him.
The Heavenly Tomb also failed to bring Xun'er back to his side. The energy body he had been longing for never appeared.
Even a Dou Di was powerless in the face of complete death.
“Alas…” Xiao Yan let out a heavy sigh.
If he could, he would rather give up this power to exchange for their companionship.
“Cousin Xiao Yan, the family meeting is about to begin, and you're the only one missing,” Xiao Qing's voice came from afar, calling Xiao Yan back to reality.
Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead, forced himself to cheer up, and said in a deep voice: “Okay, I'll be right there.”
He didn't need to worry about most of the matters in the clan. As long as he was there, the Xiao Clan would be as stable as Mount Tai.
However, he had to attend this meeting and treat it with caution.
Because what was being discussed this time was the issue of using the Spirit Worms.
Although Xiao Yan had received Amon's favor and was willing to trust him, he couldn't be careless when it came to matters concerning the lifeblood of the clan.
He walked out of the Heavenly Tomb and arrived at the former location of the Soul Palace's Heavenly Hall. This had become the new clan land of the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yan rightfully sat in the first seat. After the Xiao Clan's high-level members were all present, Xiao Zhan cleared his throat and raised the topic of the meeting.
“Everyone, I think you should all know by now that what we are going to discuss this time is whether or not to prohibit the clansmen from using the Spirit Worms.”
Xiao Zhan's words caused a moment of silence. This topic was too sensitive.
Although the power of the Xiao Clan's bloodline had recovered, not everyone's improvement was so great. Apart from Xiao Yan's direct bloodline, the increase in cultivation brought about by the power of the bloodline was still not as great as the power given by the Spirit Worms.
The Great Elder broke the silence: “If we explicitly prohibit the clansmen from using the Spirit Worms, it would be the same as telling that person that we are wary and vigilant of him, which will definitely affect the relationship between us and him.”
The Great Elder was against prohibiting the Spirit Worms. Even an hour ago, his body was still parasitized by the Spirit Worms. If it weren't for attending this meeting, he wouldn't have temporarily removed the parasitism and let the Spirit Worms leave his body.
The Second Elder echoed, "Indeed, while the Dou Di bloodline is powerful, the effects of the Spirit Worms are even more obvious, and this is clearly not their limit."
"If resources keep up, reaching the Dou Di level isn't impossible, which the Dou Di bloodline can't compare to. In the future, the Xiao clan will definitely develop in the Great Thousand World."
"The Spirit Worms can help us establish a firm foothold in the Great Thousand World at the fastest speed."
The Third Elder nodded, "I agree with what the Great Elder and Second Elder said."
Xiao Ding's expression was somewhat grave. The situation he had worried about the most had appeared. Having enjoyed the convenience of the Spirit Worms, the clansmen couldn't let go.
Xiao Li spoke up with a different opinion, "We should rely on ourselves, and not always depend on others. Once Third Brother becomes a Dou Di, we should abandon using this method to gain power. Wasn't this already decided?"
Xiao Ning retorted, "That's not right. Times have changed. The Amon clan has already proven that they are the best allies. There's no need to worry too much about unfounded matters."
"Moreover, using the Spirit Worms doesn't hinder our own cultivation. As long as we don't enter a state of deep parasitism, our cultivation is still effective."
"Although it may affect the speed to some extent, the resources gained from the Spirit Worms' power can completely compensate for it."
"Except for the possibility of completely losing one's will when using 'Spirit Awakening', I haven't seen any other side effects."
"Even so, we can't place the family's lifeline in someone else's hands. What our Xiao clan needs is independent glory, not becoming someone else's vassal," Xiao Li continued.
"This isn't a vassal! There's nothing wrong with a beneficial symbiosis. Without the Amon clan, there wouldn't be the Xiao clan today," Xiao Ke offered his view.
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Xiao Yu softly said, "Our relationship with the Amon is very similar to the Soul clan's relationship with Void Flame. The Soul clan has continued for so many years because of Void Flame, and has always been prosperous. This proves the feasibility of this kind of symbiosis."
Listening to their debate, Xiao Yan understood the situation.
He himself was against continuing to let Spirit Worms parasitize the clansmen, but apart from his father and two older brothers, almost no one was willing to support him on this point.
Moreover, because of the Amon, he couldn't forcefully push his own will, and could only guide the clansmen's choices with a bias.
But obviously, the effect wasn't good.
Having enjoyed the convenience brought by the Spirit Worms, it was difficult for the clansmen to give up this power.
Xiao Yan tapped the armrest of his chair with his index finger, and the others immediately quieted down, focusing their attention on this young clan leader.
After pondering for a moment, he said, "How about this? The clansmen who have already used the Spirit Worms can continue to use them if they wish.
"Newborns in the future cannot use Spirit Worms before their coming-of-age ceremony. After the coming-of-age ceremony, it will depend on their own will.
"Those with good talent will be encouraged to walk their own path, and those with poor talent may as well become hosts for the Spirit Worms."
"In addition, the family will give resource support to those clansmen who do not use Spirit Worms."
This compromise calmed the debate. Although it couldn't satisfy everyone, or rather, everyone was dissatisfied, they could all accept it.
…
Several months later, a teenager arrived at the Xiao clan's residence.
He unreservedly released his aura as an Eight-Star Dou Sheng.
"Who is it? How dare you act wildly in the Xiao clan?"
Paine led a group of guards to stop him.
"My surname is Xiao, and I don't have a name. You can also call me Xiao Wuming. My mother asked me to come here to find my father…"
"Your father?" From the teenager's face, Paine saw some familiar shadows, and a look of realization appeared on his face.
He muttered in a low voice, "How come another young master suddenly appeared…"
"I understand, come with me." Paine put away his weapon and led him into the clan's territory.
Xiao Qing saw this scene and immediately shouted:
"Cousin Xiao Yan, your son has come to find you!"
With his shout, the entire clan came over to watch the show with great interest.
Xiao Yan's mouth twitched, feeling helpless at Xiao Qing's big mouth.
With a thought, he took the teenager, who resembled him, to a high peak, away from the clansmen.
The connection in their bloodline allowed Xiao Yan to confirm at a glance that this was indeed his son, but the other party's attitude didn't seem very friendly, and the look in his eyes contained some resentment and hatred.
This made him feel a bad premonition in his heart.
"You are Yun'er's child, right… Is Yun'er well?" Xiao Yan asked somewhat uneasily.
The teenager didn't answer his words, but asked coldly, "Are you my father?"
Xiao Yan nodded, "Yes…"
"My mother asked me to come find you, but I didn't want to come… I've been a fatherless child since I was little. When I fought with others, the others could go back and cry to their fathers when they lost. But I didn't have one. Even if I was bullied, there was no father to stand up for me."
Xiao Yan was silent for a long time, then uttered two words, "I'm sorry… I'm the one who let you down… Your mother, where is she now?"
"Mother doesn't want to see you. She asked me to tell you that she already knows what happened back then."
Xiao Yan's expression was complicated. Yunshan's matter was an insurmountable obstacle between him and Yun Yun.
"Emperor Yan Xiao Yan, I know you. You are the most powerful person in the world today, but I want to say that I will become stronger than you. I will one day get back the grievances my mother suffered…"
Looking at the stubborn teenager looking at him, as if seeing his past self, a smile suddenly appeared on Xiao Yan's face.
"What are you laughing at?" The teenager was annoyed, "Don't look down on people… Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully a young man for being poor!"
