At this moment, everything before Xiao Yi's eyes seemed to be happening in reality.
Xiao Yi also felt as if he were a member of the Xiao Clan present at that scene a thousand years ago.
"Clan Chief..."
"The Hun Clan has long been eyeing us covetously; we cannot hesitate any longer..."
"Now, the Xiao Clan only has one path: for you, Clan Chief, to go all out and attempt to break through to Dou Di! Bring a brand new Dou Di Bloodline to our Xiao Clan..."
Seeing that Xiao Xuan still hadn't made up his mind, Grand Elder Xiao Kong below the platform spoke once more.
After all, in Xiao Kong's view, Xiao Xuan was a peerless Genius the Xiao Clan hadn't seen in a thousand years.
In the current Fighting Qi Continent, only Xiao Xuan had the opportunity to advance to Dou Di!
"Xiao Clan, we share honor and disgrace together!"
At some point, the many Xiao Clan members below the platform began shouting in unison.
Xiao Yi saw the emotional Xiao Clan members and could understand their feelings.
After all, the Xiao Clan used to be a top existence among the Ancient Eight Clans, and every member of the Xiao Clan would feel proud of their Xiao Clan heritage!
Just like Ling Quan of the Gu Clan in the original work, relying on the Gu Clan's name, he was arrogant, conceited, and looked down on everything!
However, because the Xiao Clan's Bloodline was about to dry up, the Xiao Clan members naturally did not want to see the Xiao Clan begin to decline, nor did they want to become targets for the Hun Clan to devour and hunt.
There is an old saying: It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality...
Because the Xiao Clan had once been powerful, not a single member was willing to see the Xiao Clan decline...
And Xiao Xuan was the hope of all Xiao Clan members; only Clan Chief Xiao Xuan alone could reverse the Xiao Clan's decline...
Therefore, the Xiao Clan members at this moment sincerely believed in Xiao Xuan; even if the outcome was unfavorable, they chose to trust Xiao Xuan unconditionally...
However, Xiao Xuan, standing on the high platform, looked at the expressions of anticipation on the faces of every clan member in the hall.
He could only sigh helplessly...
After all, as the Clan Chief of the Xiao Clan, and one of the few Peak Late Nine-Star Dou Sheng powerhouses on the continent, he knew the risks.
Xiao Xuan was very clear about how difficult it was to attempt to break through to Dou Di, and if the attempt failed, it would only accelerate the Xiao Clan's demise...
As the Clan Chief, Xiao Xuan was still hesitating, because attempting to break through to Dou Di meant gambling with the Luck of all the Xiao Clan's people...
If they won the gamble, the Xiao Clan would naturally ascend to a higher level, but what if they lost...
After a moment, the light in Xiao Xuan's eyes shifted slightly, and he finally made his decision.
"Everyone!"
"For the sake of the Xiao Clan, I, Xiao Xuan, can give it a try..."
"Gathering the Bloodline Power of my entire Clan, I will attempt to break through to Dou Di!"
Xiao Xuan's eyes were deep yet resolute as he spoke in a low voice.
It was evident that Xiao Xuan was extremely conflicted internally when he made this decision.
And Xiao Yi, as an observer, knew this was a fate doomed to failure...
Some people in later generations attributed the fault for the Xiao Clan's decline to Xiao Xuan...
They believed that Xiao Xuan was truly willful and arrogant, boasting of his own superior strength, not hesitating to exhaust the Xiao Clan's Luck and spend the entire Clan's Bloodline Power merely to break through to Dou Di himself...
Thereby causing the Xiao Clan to be completely removed from the Ancient Eight Clans...
But they failed to consider that the Xiao Clan's Bloodline Power was already nearly depleted, and among the Ancient Eight Clans, only the Hun Clan was unaffected by the exhaustion of Bloodline Power...
Even if Xiao Xuan hadn't risked attempting to break through to Dou Di, and even with Xiao Xuan's existence, given that the younger generation of the Xiao Clan had a near-power vacuum, how could they have survived the Hun Clan...
By then, the outcome would have been the same...
Therefore, in Xiao Yi's opinion, Xiao Xuan's choice was not wrong...
The only mistake was overestimating Gu Yuan's courage. After Xiao Xuan failed to break through to Dou Di, even though he suffered backlash, he still relied on his own strength to instantly kill several high-star Dou Sheng of the Hun Clan, and severely wounded Hun Tiandi, forcing him to recuperate for a thousand years...
If Gu Yuan had possessed some courage or spirit at that time, he could have seized the opportunity to lead the Gu Clan to attack the Hun Clan...
However, just as Xiao Yi was still deep in thought, the illusion before him suddenly changed drastically.
It shifted from the Xiao Clan's main hall to the location of the Heavenly Tomb.
The Heavenly Tomb in the illusion was located at the border between the Xiao Realm and the Ancient World.
At that time, the Gu Clan was not as powerful as it was now, and the area of the Ancient World was also slightly smaller than it would be a thousand years later.
After Xiao Xuan fell and the Xiao Clan declined, the Ancient World expanded, absorbing the Heavenly Tomb and most of the Xiao Realm's territory.
From then on, the Heavenly Tomb was also classified as part of the Ancient World...
Xiao Yi couldn't help but take a deep breath...
It was clear that the Gu Clan was the sole beneficiary of that battle back then, and thus Gu Yuan and the Gu Clan truly owed the Xiao Clan a great deal...
However, in the next second, Xiao Yi saw a wave of energy suddenly appear in the Void Realm above the sky.
As the energy fluctuation dissipated, a spatial rift slowly appeared in the sky...
And countless figures stepped out from that Void Realm...
The person leading them was none other than Xiao Xuan!
However, the simultaneous appearance of so many Xiao Clan powerhouses, with such powerful aura, naturally alarmed the habitually timid and cautious Gu Yuan...
In the next second, the Void Realm above the distant sky also ripped open violently.
Gu Yuan led a group of Gu Clan powerhouses and rushed over as well.
When Gu Yuan saw Xiao Xuan leading so many members of the Xiao Clan to the Heavenly Tomb, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
After all, the Heavenly Tomb was currently located at the border between the Xiao Realm and the Ancient World, and the Xiao Clan mobilizing so many people naturally made Gu Yuan somewhat fearful...
"Brother Xiao Xuan, why has the Xiao Clan brought so many people to the Heavenly Tomb today?"
Gu Yuan flashed and appeared before Xiao Xuan, asking in a deep voice.
Since Xiao Xuan had a good relationship with Gu Yuan, he didn't hide anything. He informed Gu Yuan of the entire reason: the Xiao Clan's Bloodline was drying up, and he intended to gather the strength of the entire Clan here to attempt to break through to Dou Di and reactivate the Dou Di Bloodline...
After Gu Yuan listened and understood the purpose of Xiao Xuan and the others, and realized there was no threat to the Gu Clan, his heart settled down.
But at the same time, a hint of sorrow couldn't help but appear on Gu Yuan's face.
After all, he was aware of the Xiao Clan's situation.
The passage of time and the exhaustion of Bloodline was something unavoidable for all the other major Families apart from the Hun Clan...
The Xiao Clan of today might be the Gu Clan of tomorrow...
Although the Gu Clan hadn't yet experienced the crisis of Bloodline Power depletion like the Xiao Clan, Gu Yuan also knew that if the Gu Clan didn't produce a new Dou Di in time, the day the Gu Clan's Bloodline dried up would eventually arrive...
Therefore, upon hearing Xiao Xuan's decision to burn his bridges and gather the strength of the entire Clan to attempt to break through to Dou Di, Gu Yuan did not try to dissuade him. Instead, after sighing, he nodded slightly.
After all, given Gu Yuan's friendship with Xiao Xuan over so many years, Gu Yuan knew Xiao Xuan's character.
If there had been any other way, Xiao Xuan would absolutely not have taken such a dangerous action.
It seemed that the Xiao Clan had truly reached a desperate moment.
At the same time, Gu Yuan harbored a selfish motive: he also wanted to see if Xiao Xuan's method could succeed!
If it succeeded, then his Gu Clan could seemingly follow suit and help him attempt to break through to Dou Di!