Even though they had relaxed a bit, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe still had to make the necessary preparations.
No one knew if the hidden hand behind these events would target them as well, so the elders began to discuss the matter.
Zi Yan, sitting on the throne, watched their discussion with some boredom. Such matters required her to make decisions only after the discussion was over.
After listening silently for a while, her pretty face lit up with excitement as she stood up.
"Xiao Ming!"
At the sound of her call, everyone instinctively stopped their discussion and turned towards the entrance.
They saw Xiao Ming, dressed in white with his black hair cascading down his shoulders, walking into the great hall with a gentle smile on his face.
"This is... another breakthrough?!"
Several powerful elders whose strength ranked at the top of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, including Zhu Xun, couldn't help but shrink their pupils when they saw Xiao Ming.
This was because they couldn't sense Xiao Ming's presence at all. If they hadn't seen Xiao Ming with their own eyes, they would have thought that the place where Xiao Ming stood was just empty air.
In the face of this strange situation, Zhu Xun, the current strongest member of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, had the most to say.
His strength was at the initial eight-star stage, and if Xiao Ming relied on his Emperor Realm soul alone, it was absolutely impossible for him to hide his aura so perfectly in front of him. In the current situation, it could only mean that Xiao Ming's realm had caught up with him, or even surpassed him!
To think that just a little over half a year ago, Xiao Ming was only at the intermediate six-star Dou Saint stage, and now, in such a short time, he had reached the eight-star Dou Saint stage?!
Zhu Xun was shocked, but when he considered Xiao Ming's identity as an alchemist and the thunderclouds that had filled the sky above Ancient Dragon Island in recent days, he felt somewhat relieved.
Who made Xiao Ming an alchemist?
However, Xiao Ming was the only alchemist on the entire continent capable of such a feat.
This was good. With a powerful prospective son-in-law like him, the hope of saving the former Dragon Emperor was even greater!
"I just came out of seclusion and sensed that you were all here. I hope I haven't interrupted anything important. What are you discussing?" Xiao Ming asked with a slight smile, looking at the shocked expressions of everyone present.
With his strength, he could have easily used his soul power to find out what they were discussing, but out of respect, he refrained from doing so.
"We..."
Zi Yan stepped forward and took Xiao Ming's arm, inviting him to sit next to her. She then proceeded to tell him about the annihilation of the Shi Clan.
What surprised the elders, however, was that Xiao Ming did not seem surprised by the news.
The elders couldn't help but be curious and asked, "Xiao Ming, why do you look like you expected this? Did you predict this event?"
Zi Yan also looked at Xiao Ming with curiosity. He had mentioned some things to her, but she wasn't fully aware of the details.
Under the curious eyes of everyone, Xiao Ming remained calm and spoke slowly, "Actually, it was the work of the Hun Clan."
"What?!"
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone was astonished. While they had suspicions about the Hun Clan, they also had doubts about the Gu Clan. They were not as confident as Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming smiled slightly as he saw their confused expressions.
"Perhaps you are not fully aware, but the Hun Clan has been planning to obtain the pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade for quite some time. You may know that my Xiao family has a piece of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. The Hun Clan has made many attempts to take it from us. The Heavenly Court was established to prevent the Hun from succeeding. Zi Yan knows this matter very well."
In fact, the Gu Clan was also interested in collecting the pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, but they weren't as enthusiastic as the Hun Clan, and they didn't have a specific plan.
Xiao Ming made no mention of the Gu Clan as he continued to speak.
"So the Hun Clan has reasons and motivation to take action."
"This..." The elders of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe still had their doubts when they heard this.
Xiao Ming didn't care and continued to educate them about the strength of the Hun Clan. Except for not elaborating too much on the source of the information, he spared no details.
When they heard that the Hun Clan had at least four eight-star Dou Saints, eight or nine seven-star Dou Saints, along with the Nihility Devouring Flame and Hun Tiandi, two nine-star Dou Saints, the hall fell into a stunned silence.
The reason was simple: the strength of the Hun Clan was truly terrifying!
It should be noted that the current strength of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe consisted of only two initial eight-star Dou Saints and one advanced seven-star Dou Saint. Zi Yan could fight above her level and was also considered a high-star expert.
Nevertheless, with Zhu Kun sealed, the Hun Clan could at least deal with three or four Ancient Void Dragon Tribes.
This revelation was nothing short of mind-boggling.
It explained why the Hun Clan had been able to wipe out the Shi Clan and the Ling Clan. Compared to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, these two Ancient Clans were much weaker!
At the sight of the silent Ancient Void Dragons, Xiao Ming shook his head. He knew that this fact was hard to accept, but he had to say it.
Now that the Shi Clan had been destroyed, the Hun Clan was clearly ready to make their move.
If he allowed the Hun Clan to act and wipe out the remaining four ancient clans, he alone wouldn't be afraid. With his breakthrough to the eight-star Dou Saint stage, he no longer had anything to fear.
He could win against other eight-star Dou Saints with one hand tied behind his back. Even the Nihility Devouring Flame could not compete with him. He could now devour his origin flame whenever he wanted, and after that, he would even receive an increase in his cultivation realm.
Even against people like Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi, both advanced nine-star Dou Saints, he had the confidence to face them even in a direct confrontation.
However, he wasn't alone.
If the Hun Clan were to launch a surprise attack, considering the preparations the Hun Clan had made for centuries, if they were to use a tremendously powerful formation, it would be enough to give him a headache.
Therefore, a necessary reminder was required. This would also increase their vigilance.
It would be best to set up his own formations and defenses to be prepared for any situation.
The somber atmosphere lingered for a while, and seeing the worried expressions on the elders' faces, Xiao Ming spoke to reassure them.
"Please be reassured, everyone. I have recently made a breakthrough in my cultivation realm. I can barely handle a weaker nine-star Dou Saint now. As for the situation with the former Dragon Emperor, I will not stand by and do nothing to save Zi Yan's father. Besides, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe is part of the Heavenly Court. Out of both family ties and moral duty, the Heavenly Court will support the rescue of the former Dragon Emperor."
Though he was confident, Xiao Ming didn't reveal all of his thoughts.
The elders had no reason to doubt his words. They had some knowledge of Xiao Ming, this prospective son-in-law.
Xiao Ming was a ruthless character, capable of defeating the First Tianzun of the Hall of Souls when he was an eight-star Dou Venerate. Now, taking on a nine-star Dou Saint as an eight-star Dou Saint didn't seem like an exaggeration, and there was no need to lie about it.
The mood among the elders relaxed somewhat.
"Should we inform the other Ancient Clans to be wary of the Hun Clan? If the Hun Clan succeeds, it could be troublesome for us." Someone else thought the same as Xiao Ming.
"No need. They won't believe us. We just have to sit back and reap the benefits when they start fighting among themselves."
These other Ancient Clans didn't have the same level of trust in Xiao Ming as the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Therefore, they would not readily believe his warnings. It was better to wait for the right opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Kisshot
Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones.
On a separate note, the updates have been a bit sporadic lately. This is in part due to the holiday season, but also due to the upcoming chapters of the story.
In the drafts, I've already reached the next world and even completed a few chapters. The process has been very smooth, but it does take an extra amount of time to do the research and make sure that the next part is clear to those who haven't read the story on which the next world is based. (WDQK)
We are nearing the end of the BTTH world on Patreon, and these final chapters are going to be longer than usual. So for all of these reasons, please expect updates to continue at this pace during this period.
Even though they had relaxed a bit, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe still had to make the necessary preparations.
No one knew if the hidden hand behind these events would target them as well, so the elders began to discuss the matter.
Zi Yan, sitting on the throne, watched their discussion with some boredom. Such matters required her to make decisions only after the discussion was over.
After listening silently for a while, her pretty face lit up with excitement as she stood up.
"Xiao Ming!"
At the sound of her call, everyone instinctively stopped their discussion and turned towards the entrance.
They saw Xiao Ming, dressed in white with his black hair cascading down his shoulders, walking into the great hall with a gentle smile on his face.
"This is... another breakthrough?!"
Several powerful elders whose strength ranked at the top of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, including Zhu Xun, couldn't help but shrink their pupils when they saw Xiao Ming.
This was because they couldn't sense Xiao Ming's presence at all. If they hadn't seen Xiao Ming with their own eyes, they would have thought that the place where Xiao Ming stood was just empty air.
In the face of this strange situation, Zhu Xun, the current strongest member of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, had the most to say.
His strength was at the initial eight-star stage, and if Xiao Ming relied on his Emperor Realm soul alone, it was absolutely impossible for him to hide his aura so perfectly in front of him. In the current situation, it could only mean that Xiao Ming's realm had caught up with him, or even surpassed him!
To think that just a little over half a year ago, Xiao Ming was only at the intermediate six-star Dou Saint stage, and now, in such a short time, he had reached the eight-star Dou Saint stage?!
Zhu Xun was shocked, but when he considered Xiao Ming's identity as an alchemist and the thunderclouds that had filled the sky above Ancient Dragon Island in recent days, he felt somewhat relieved.
Who made Xiao Ming an alchemist?
However, Xiao Ming was the only alchemist on the entire continent capable of such a feat.
This was good. With a powerful prospective son-in-law like him, the hope of saving the former Dragon Emperor was even greater!
"I just came out of seclusion and sensed that you were all here. I hope I haven't interrupted anything important. What are you discussing?" Xiao Ming asked with a slight smile, looking at the shocked expressions of everyone present.
With his strength, he could have easily used his soul power to find out what they were discussing, but out of respect, he refrained from doing so.
"We..."
Zi Yan stepped forward and took Xiao Ming's arm, inviting him to sit next to her. She then proceeded to tell him about the annihilation of the Shi Clan.
What surprised the elders, however, was that Xiao Ming did not seem surprised by the news.
The elders couldn't help but be curious and asked, "Xiao Ming, why do you look like you expected this? Did you predict this event?"
Zi Yan also looked at Xiao Ming with curiosity. He had mentioned some things to her, but she wasn't fully aware of the details.
Under the curious eyes of everyone, Xiao Ming remained calm and spoke slowly, "Actually, it was the work of the Hun Clan."
"What?!"
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone was astonished. While they had suspicions about the Hun Clan, they also had doubts about the Gu Clan. They were not as confident as Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming smiled slightly as he saw their confused expressions.
"Perhaps you are not fully aware, but the Hun Clan has been planning to obtain the pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade for quite some time. You may know that my Xiao family has a piece of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. The Hun Clan has made many attempts to take it from us. The Heavenly Court was established to prevent the Hun from succeeding. Zi Yan knows this matter very well."
In fact, the Gu Clan was also interested in collecting the pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, but they weren't as enthusiastic as the Hun Clan, and they didn't have a specific plan.
Xiao Ming made no mention of the Gu Clan as he continued to speak.
"So the Hun Clan has reasons and motivation to take action."
"This..." The elders of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe still had their doubts when they heard this.
Xiao Ming didn't care and continued to educate them about the strength of the Hun Clan. Except for not elaborating too much on the source of the information, he spared no details.
When they heard that the Hun Clan had at least four eight-star Dou Saints, eight or nine seven-star Dou Saints, along with the Nihility Devouring Flame and Hun Tiandi, two nine-star Dou Saints, the hall fell into a stunned silence.
The reason was simple: the strength of the Hun Clan was truly terrifying!
It should be noted that the current strength of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe consisted of only two initial eight-star Dou Saints and one advanced seven-star Dou Saint. Zi Yan could fight above her level and was also considered a high-star expert.
Nevertheless, with Zhu Kun sealed, the Hun Clan could at least deal with three or four Ancient Void Dragon Tribes.
This revelation was nothing short of mind-boggling.
It explained why the Hun Clan had been able to wipe out the Shi Clan and the Ling Clan. Compared to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, these two Ancient Clans were much weaker!
At the sight of the silent Ancient Void Dragons, Xiao Ming shook his head. He knew that this fact was hard to accept, but he had to say it.
Now that the Shi Clan had been destroyed, the Hun Clan was clearly ready to make their move.
If he allowed the Hun Clan to act and wipe out the remaining four ancient clans, he alone wouldn't be afraid. With his breakthrough to the eight-star Dou Saint stage, he no longer had anything to fear.
He could win against other eight-star Dou Saints with one hand tied behind his back. Even the Nihility Devouring Flame could not compete with him. He could now devour his origin flame whenever he wanted, and after that, he would even receive an increase in his cultivation realm.
Even against people like Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi, both advanced nine-star Dou Saints, he had the confidence to face them even in a direct confrontation.
However, he wasn't alone.
If the Hun Clan were to launch a surprise attack, considering the preparations the Hun Clan had made for centuries, if they were to use a tremendously powerful formation, it would be enough to give him a headache.
Therefore, a necessary reminder was required. This would also increase their vigilance.
It would be best to set up his own formations and defenses to be prepared for any situation.
The somber atmosphere lingered for a while, and seeing the worried expressions on the elders' faces, Xiao Ming spoke to reassure them.
"Please be reassured, everyone. I have recently made a breakthrough in my cultivation realm. I can barely handle a weaker nine-star Dou Saint now. As for the situation with the former Dragon Emperor, I will not stand by and do nothing to save Zi Yan's father. Besides, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe is part of the Heavenly Court. Out of both family ties and moral duty, the Heavenly Court will support the rescue of the former Dragon Emperor."
Though he was confident, Xiao Ming didn't reveal all of his thoughts.
The elders had no reason to doubt his words. They had some knowledge of Xiao Ming, this prospective son-in-law.
Xiao Ming was a ruthless character, capable of defeating the First Tianzun of the Hall of Souls when he was an eight-star Dou Venerate. Now, taking on a nine-star Dou Saint as an eight-star Dou Saint didn't seem like an exaggeration, and there was no need to lie about it.
The mood among the elders relaxed somewhat.
"Should we inform the other Ancient Clans to be wary of the Hun Clan? If the Hun Clan succeeds, it could be troublesome for us." Someone else thought the same as Xiao Ming.
"No need. They won't believe us. We just have to sit back and reap the benefits when they start fighting among themselves."
These other Ancient Clans didn't have the same level of trust in Xiao Ming as the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Therefore, they would not readily believe his warnings. It was better to wait for the right opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Kisshot
Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones.
On a separate note, the updates have been a bit sporadic lately. This is in part due to the holiday season, but also due to the upcoming chapters of the story.
In the drafts, I've already reached the next world and even completed a few chapters. The process has been very smooth, but it does take an extra amount of time to do the research and make sure that the next part is clear to those who haven't read the story on which the next world is based. (WDQK)
We are nearing the end of the BTTH world on Patreon, and these final chapters are going to be longer than usual. So for all of these reasons, please expect updates to continue at this pace during this period.
