Chapter 69: Chapter 68 — Dispute
In the face of truly powerful races, such a so-called covenant carried absolutely no weight whatsoever — those with sufficient strength had no need to abide by it at all. For the weak, however, they naturally had to observe every clause of the covenant, treading carefully at every step, terrified of inadvertently violating it and giving stronger races a pretext to move against them. At the same time, they had to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the violations committed by those stronger than themselves. This was the sorrow of the weak.
And so in the eyes of the immensely powerful Soul Clan, so long as their strength was sufficient, they could carry out such actions openly and without restraint — for no one was their match, and no one would dare stand up to condemn them.
People are inherently selfish, always harboring private interests, always siding with themselves no matter the circumstance. This is undeniable. And so, with hearts divided and strength unequal among all parties, the so-called Ancient Race Covenant was nothing more than a formality — it would produce no real effect, nor would it provide any genuine protection to any race.
The reason the Soul Clan dispatched the Soul Palace and colluded with local powers to suppress and eliminate the Xiao Family was not because the constraints of the Ancient Race Covenant forced them to operate in secret. Rather, it was because they did not wish to expose their own movements — and did not want the existence of the Xiao Family to come to light.
It was true that Hun Tiandi harbored a bone-deep hatred for the Xiao Clan, and it was equally true that the Soul Clan wished to eliminate every last Xiao Clan descendant. But beyond this, they harbored additional objectives as well. It was precisely for this reason that they dared not act openly or recklessly against the Xiao Clan, dared not expose their own trail — because once exposed, it would inevitably draw the attention of the other ancient races.
At that point, not only would the other ancient races intervene and prevent the Soul Clan from achieving their goal, but the Soul Clan's broader scheme might be revealed ahead of time. That was something they could not allow.
And so, even if it meant being more cautious, even if it meant the process would take longer, they were unwilling to make a flashy, swift spectacle of crushing an opponent so far beneath them in strength. They had more than enough time and energy to continue playing this drawn-out game with the Xiao Family. Given the Xiao Family's level of power, it would not take long for them to be completely destroyed.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind, yet his expression remained completely blank as he gazed at Xiao Xing before him. Looking at the faces of those present — this sensation of standing above them all, of being the only one awake while the rest of the world was intoxicated — very nearly drew him into its allure.
Glancing at the group, Xiao Xing continued: "However, the situation did not stop there. Ambushes and suppression continued without pause. Finally, after several more years, the Xiao Family's new head — a Battle King, and the last Battle King among them — was killed in an ambush."
"Besieged on all sides and subjected to relentless pressure over a long period, the Xiao Family chose to flee. They scattered and ran in different directions, and by sheer fortune managed to evade their pursuers, eventually settling in a remote little city within the Jia Ma Empire called Wutan City."
"Based on 'Hell's' extensive investigation from multiple angles, this shadowy force originates from the Central Region — though which specific power it belongs to remains unclear. Beyond that, the ancestors of this Xiao Family also appear to have come from the Central Region. It is for this reason that we believe this Xiao Family was founded by Xiao Clan members — and that the people of the Xiao Family are descendants of our Xiao Clan!"
As Xiao Xing finished speaking, the expressions of Xiao Hu and the others in the room shifted in various ways, a flicker of astonishment crossing their eyes. The one seated at the head of the room — Xiao Feng — showed no surprise whatsoever. After all, he had already formed this conclusion from the very beginning.
Moreover, for everyone else this was merely a guess. For him, it was absolute certainty. They were Xiao Clan descendants without question. And beyond this, he harbored far deeper and more layered thoughts on the matter — thoughts too far-reaching to share with others, which he could only keep to himself.
After a long silence, Xiao Hu was the first to speak. "Since they are members of our Xiao Clan, should we bring them back to the Xiao Clan's small world?"
Before he could even finish, Xiao Qi cut him off. With an expression of grave seriousness, he said: "We cannot. The identity of this so-called Xiao Family cannot yet be confirmed. What if this is a trap? What if it is a test designed to probe us? If we reveal ourselves on our own initiative, would that not expose our very existence? And once they are brought into this world, this world would inevitably be exposed to the enemy's sight as well. If that were to happen, our Xiao Clan would be in grave danger!"
His words were perhaps slightly exaggerated, but the scenario he described was far from impossible. And in all things, one cannot afford to think only in the best case — one must also consider the worst, and at minimum be prepared for the consequences of failure.
Upon hearing Xiao Qi's argument, the expressions of Xiao Xing and the others stiffened, and for a moment none of them knew what to say. It was evident that they had been in favor of Xiao Hu's suggestion.
"Xiao Qi is right. There is always a 'what if.' The Xiao Clan cannot afford to take that risk." Xiao Ren added in agreement.
"But these are our Xiao Clan's own people! Their ancestors may very well have been the very ones who fought and bled in that great battle long ago!
They gave everything to defend the Xiao Clan against the enemy — and now are we truly going to abandon their descendants?
To stand by and watch them slowly perish in some remote corner of the world? To watch them be eliminated by the enemy?
Does that not pain you at all?!" As the only woman in the room, Xiao Yumei rose to her feet with fury written across her face, her voice sharp with rebuke.
It was clear that she too was in favor of bringing the Xiao Family back.
"But whether or not the Xiao Family is truly made up of our descendants is still far from certain. And even if they are, revealing ourselves under these circumstances would undeniably increase the risk of exposure. For the sake of a handful of low-level Xiao Clan descendants, are we truly willing to stake the lives of every single member of the Xiao Clan?"
"We have a responsibility toward them — but we have an even greater responsibility toward the clansmen living within this world, toward their futures, and toward the future of the Xiao Clan itself! Right now our most pressing priority is to grow our forces, strengthen the clan, and strive to bring the Xiao Clan back into the world at the earliest opportunity so that we may eliminate our enemies!"
Xiao Qi continued to argue back. His position was unmistakably clear: regardless of whether the Xiao Family had been founded by Xiao Clan descendants, regardless of whether Xiao Clan blood ran in their veins — if any risk was involved, it was better to abandon the Xiao Family than to allow it to jeopardize the Xiao Clan as it stood today.
Though this stance was cold-blooded, even heartless, it was nonetheless the most sound course of action given the current circumstances. As the commander of the Xiao Clan's guard corps, it was his duty to bear responsibility for the clan's safety and survival.
Upon hearing this argument, Xiao Hu and the others found themselves at a loss for words.
They wanted to bring back the Xiao Clan's descendants and help them — but they wanted even more to develop the clan's strength, restore the Xiao Clan's former glory as soon as possible, and eliminate its enemies once and for all.
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End of this chapter...